Until We Meet Again
by karindalynn
Summary: Hook Emma. Future Killian,married to Emma, steals from Gold and accidently falls through time back to when Emma was 27, before Henry finds her in s. 1. Killian needs Emma's magic to open a portal back to his own time, which is pretty much impossible as this is 27 year old Emma, who doesn't believe in love, let alone time travel or magic. Sequel to Emma in Wonderland, 25 chapters
1. Chapter 1

sequel to "Emma in Wonderland"

**KILLIAN**

Killian didn't even see it coming, which was unusual given he was a pirate still and all and guided by his instincts.

He was acting Sheriff, by his own insistence, with Emma almost eight months pregnant and now officially off duty, by his own over protective demands. She didn't do anything by half measure, and he literally thought she would chase down and tackle an armed bank robber large belly in tow if the situation called for it.

Rather than tempt her with such a situation, and her refusing anything that resembled rest, she spent her days barricaded with Snow planning the final touches of the plan for the portal and the new kingdom. David was supposed to co-Sherriff with him in the interim, but he was surprising unreliable, an unusual trait for him, in part placated by the peace, the blessed peace that had left Storybrooke drama free since Emma's return from Wonderland as well as equally occupied by planning his Kingdom with Snow.

The town, equally excited, were busy debating which side to reside on, some torn by loyalty, others by their new found love of technology. All of them too pre-occupied for any malfeasance.

It was all rather downright boring. Killian did not handle bored well. He saved stray kittens from trees, helped the elderly with minor complaints, reorganized the office and became proficent with all manners of technology. He desperately longed for just the briefest glimpse of danger. So finally, with no trouble to be had, he set out to make his own.

At the first sign of anything odd in ages, the pirate in Killian reacted, pick pocketed an item off of Gold, when Gold had the nerve to shove rudely past him at Grannies.

Gold had been acting weird, off somehow in a way Killian could not quite pinpoint, he was breathy almost, excited. Talking in quiet tones to himself, but under his breath Killian heard the word Bae and bring back. The portal had already a brief test run, and Gold went through in the initial scouting party and Killian suspected whatever he lifted off of the crocodile was what he was really up to volunteering for that task.

When he got back to the Sheriff's office, he pulled the unusual item from his pocket. It looked innocent enough, a gold and emerald and ruby box, like something a man might give his beloved as a gift. But it had an air of magic to it, a glittering almost that told of something more. Without thinking, without any sense of self preservation he downright prided himself for, Killian opened the box and was promptly sucked into it. Images of his love, his wife flashed through his head in panic, memory after memory racing through his brain, grateful like hell, that despite the loss of him, she would still have her family and Henry and the unborn child to keep her back from reverting back to what she was before, 27 and alone in the world. An image of her alone at 27 and his guess what that would look like was then the last image in his head as consciousness gave into darkness.

Of course time portals, like all portals take you where you were thinking of...

**EMMA (2010)**

It had been another shitty day, Emma thought kicking off her heels and leaning against the door of her apartment. Fuck this life.

As a bounty hunter and former thief Emma had come across her fair share of danger, primary men and primary assholes, not assisted by her own poor taste and choices. Her life was one never ending search, searching, always searching, always alone.

On the rare occasions someone flitted through her life, always hollow and temporary, she would go to them. Her home, her apartment was hers alone. Her sanctuary from the chase. Sometimes it comforted her, sometimes its emptiness served only as a reminder her of the lack in her life. The unfilled cracks in her.

Emma rubbed her hands across her tired eyes, and in the brief moment she closed them for this purpose, a loud thump radiated through her apartment, and she opened them to find a dark haired man suddenly from no where face down across her apartment floor. Unconscious.

_What the hell!_ She thought, her mind wild with sudden panic looking desperately for where he could have come from. No where. He clearly just appeared out of no where. She stored that little tidbit to try to deal with later.

She grabbed her gun, gave a quick search of the apartment and poked at him cautiously with her toe. Satisfied he was good and out, she flipped him ove carefully to look him over.

Damn, he was attractive, she thought appreciately, taking in his dark jeans, leather jacket, gray vest and white linen dress shirt. The scruff on his chin and general appearance screamed bad boy, but with one glaring exception.

Pinned to his chest was a Sheriffs badge, and a quick search divested him of a pair of handcuffs, a gun, a shockingly enough a well loved and worn picture of _holy shit_, her smiling for the camera, in a pale cream dress she had never seen before let alone worn, holding a single red rose.

_What the hell was going on?_ She thought desperately, staring down at the man, dead to the world on the floor.

She jumped suddenly, as he groaned in his state managing only one word before slipping back under. It was all that it took to send a shock of alarm through her.

"_Swan"_


	2. Chapter 2

**KILLIAN**

Killian woke with his head throbbing, differently then the more familiar pain of too much rum, which mostly preceded Emma during his pirate years. He stretched out his body, wondering what he was doing sprawled out on the floor, and went to rub his hand across his face only to discover the familiar weight and feel of handcuffs around them.

He let out a loud sigh and kept his eyes closed, rubbing them with the other free hand.

"_I don't know it you are mad at me love or setting out to reward my safety, but either way I am not..." _He stopped suddenly mid sentence, opening his eyes to find Emma, sitting alert across from him, her gun poised and pointed menacingly at his head.

"_Bloody Hell" _He cursed straightening and sitting up the most he could with the handcuffs on him, _"What are you doing?" _He demanded, looking at her eyes, cold, cool, and very unfriendly.

He stared at her in shock, his mind racing to try to piece together why the hell the one person who loved him completely looked ready to put a bullet in him. But it wasn't the gun that brought fear to his eyes and sweat to his brow, that caused his heart to race in genuine pain and terror.

It was Emma's belly, flat and trim where there unborn child should be, preparing to make an entrance into the world.

He remembered the box he pilfered from Gold, remembered its magic sucking him in. _Was he frozen in time like with the curse and miss the birth? _He tried to rationalize, searching Emma's face for any sign of aging, discovering, instead a slight youthfulness and fullness that was not there in the Emma he kissed that morning before trudging off to the office. As the pieces began to click together in his brain, she growled.

"_Who are you and what are you doing in my apartment"_

He looked around the room, and searched her face again, this time looking for any sign of recognition in her features.

"_Is this New York?"_

"_No Boston buddy, and you have some explaining to do"_

He remembered his last thought of her was that he was glad even without him she would not have to be alone like at 27, and felt uneasy, more than familiar by now, with all of the adventures how portals worked. Given that time travel was supposed to be impossible and all, Emma and him both seem to excel at falling through anyways, he thought, a tad bitterly at the situation.

_"How old are you?" _He asked, needing confirmation of his suspicious

"_I'm asking the questions buddy, not you" _She warned wagging the gun at him again as if to remind him to heed her.

"_Are you 27?" _He continued, watching carefully enough to see a flash through her eyes telling him he had guessed right, while outwardly she ignored his questions.

Last time he had the whole journey to New York to make a plan, plus a memory potion. All he had to do was get her to drink the potion. One task, and even that has been met with resistance, hand cuffs and a little jail time. This task was so big, so unbelievable, he did not even know where to begin. It is not like he could blurt out _Hi I am your fairy tale character husband from the future. _

_"Well this is awkward" _

_"Why? When all you have to do is answer my question"_

_"The problem is love, if I tell you the truth, you are going to think that I am a liar, a crazy person or a stalker or all of the above, and if I lie to you, that pesky super power of yours is going to know it." _

He watched her, raise her eyebrows a bit about the "superpower" part, and glance down at a photo in her hand, which Hook recognized instantly, since he always carried it on his person since Snow gave it to him almost two years ago.

Well, had to start somewhere, he thought to himself. Time line is already damaged and he knew that them, together as a team was always the most sure-fire chance of success, of fixing it.

"_Flip it over love" _

**EMMA**

Before he gained consciousness, Emma dragged him across the floor to handcuff him to the radiator. She tried to ignore the hard muscles of his body and her own bodies reaction to him as she moved him across the room, the warmth of his skin, or the strange tingle of something that vibrated through her at the sight of him. _Nerves_ she thought in explanation.

Further inspection liberated from him a cell phone, which looked a bit strange to her, and was password protected, a new model she had not seen before. She also spotted what she had not noticed earlier, a simple but elegant gold wedding band on his hand. If there was a strange crushing feeling in her heart at the sight, well, Emma simply did not acknowledge it. Heartburn from her dinner, she rationalized.

She contemplated calling the police and simply having him arrested, but the Sheriffs badge gave her pause. She was the one with the criminal record and she had no idea what position the police might take to protect one of their own. She always was going to report what exactly? That she closed her eyes for a second and he had the nerve to suddenly appear from nowhere, out cold on her floor? She would sound like the crazy one, no thank you, she would handle him, whoever he was on her own.

Just when she thought the initial rush of attraction she had felt had finally and determinedly been purged from her feelings, he woke up.

_"I don't know it you are mad at me love or setting out to reward my safety, but either way I am not..." _His voice, she thought, with that soft accent and those eyes... oh yes the eyes were her favorite part. Blue, very blue and expressive. A window into what he was thinking and feeling.

"_Bloody Hell" _She watched as he cursed and looked at her, with a vast array of emotions, shock being the dominate one, as she could see he was as surprised as she was to find himself in this apartment. He seemed totally unconcerned about the weapon pointed at his head, and simply ignored it like it wasn't even there.

_"What are you doing?" _He looked her up and down, looking at her almost pained, with a strange and particular interest in her stomach for some strange reason. He looked at her face and stared at her. She watched it all, the emotions all race across his face, but none of them gave her any clarity or answers so she asked him the obvious question.

"_Who are you and what are you doing in my apartment?"_

He ignored her, and he watched as something clicked for him and he confirmed with her how old she was, a piece she could not understand how could possibility be relevant.

Her mind raced for answers. The first one that crept in was the ridiculous hope that he was searching for her, like she searched for people, but rather than for a bounty, instead like a private eye, for her long lost parents. Was the woman in the photo a long lost twin? She tried to fit the pieces into a story that made sense, but just looking at him, she knew that it wasn't going to be that easy, somehow.

_"Well this is awkward" _He said, and she realized they had just been staring at each other lost to their own thoughts for a little longer than appropriate with her pointing a gun at him and all.

_"Why? When all you have to do is answer my question"_

_"The problem is love, if I tell you the truth, you are going to think that I am a liar, a crazy person or a stalker or all of the above, and if I lie to you, that pesky super power of yours is going to know it." _

She stared at him, for that, wondering how in the hell he knew about her long prided ability to tell if someone was lying. And using it, she knew he was telling her the truth, or at least what he believed was the truth. Whatever story he had to tell, he did not expect that she would be able to believe it.

So she wondered until he added

"_Flip it over love" _

She realized he was referring to the photo, that she still held onto, almost unthinkingly in the hand not holding her gun. She looked different in the photo, maybe older? but happy, a happiness that she did not feel she had anywhere inside her. Lost with Neal, so very long ago. She looked for signs of photoshop or other forgery, and could see none, and even if it had been, the photo was worn in a way that it looked like it had been carried for a couple of years. She knew enough about such things not to doubt the wear. A photo was easy enough to fake, but the age of it was real.

She flipped it over slowly, not knowing what to expect.

There on the back, small in the corner in a masculine scrawl she had not earlier noticed was a few simple words. Impossible words, also worn with slight age.

"_Swan, October 19th, 2014- First date"_


	3. Chapter 3

**EMMA**

Emma stared at the date on the back of the photograph, her mind racing for a logical explanation. Which was tricky for her as she definitely appeared to be older in that photo. Happier, but older.

"_So you forged a photo of me a while ago, for some unknown reason, and have carried it around until you found me_" She finally said, but her gut telling her that this was not the right answer. "_Anyone can put a date on the back of the photo..._"

He sighed, scratching the side of his ear with his free hand in frustration.

_"To achieve what purpose love?"_

_"To have a story as to why you were in my home so I don't call the cops?"_

_"I'd hardly need a complicated tale, love" _He raised his eyebrow at her meaningfully._ "All I would have to do is wear my Sheriffs badge, and tell them you are my disgruntled girlfriend who believes I may or may not have been up to no good with another woman..." _

Emma looked him up and down, and knew that he was right, so what the hell was he up to?

"_Well you do need my assistance to get out of those cuffs..." _She started, stopping when he was able to divest himself of them, quickly and efficiently before she could even complete the sentence. _" I did not always use my powers for good..." _He grinned at her and she almost felt blinded by it suddenly, her stomach churning, with, well something akin to lust at the sight of it. She didn't even bother to wave her gun at him threatening again, she felt no real physical threat from this man, whatever crazy story he was going to try to get her to believe.

"_Maybe you are a stalker out to seduce me" _She tried and he laughed openly at that.

"_With a complicated story for a woman with serious trust issues..." _He started, slowly moving closer, into her space. "_There are easier ways than that love"" _He touched her suddenly, but gently and she allowed it almost transfixed by his eyes, his voice, as the thumb of his hand caressed the inside of her wrist and his face, well his face changed somehow to what she could only describe as a look of practiced seduction.

"_You are ridiculous_" She finally managed, a little fuck stuck, to be honest and struggling to hide it, stepping back, putting needed space between them. He did not advance further but backed off himself, his eyes sparkling.

"_Ridiculously attractive_?"

"_Stalker"_ was all she could manage to retort.

He sat down again and finally the other explanation that the little lost girl in her hope for, and her heart refused to crush completely contrary to all evidence of abandonment...

"_Did someone send you to find me? _Emma winched at her own words, her foolish thoughts, because she knew, knew deeply from all of her experiences in life that there was no one who cared for her out there, that she was, as always alone.

But he looked up at that, as if she was closer on this one, than the other explanations.

_"Not exactly love" _and more softly, almost to himself "_but they are out there waiting..." _She fought down the small tingle of hope that such words made her feel.

_"Out with it then" _She demanded, tired somehow suddenly, from all of it,. And she wasn't surprised when he said finally what had been implied already.

_"I am from the future love"_

**KILLIAN**

_"I am from the future love"_

He waited for the snort, the eye roll, or Emma being Emma and all, the potential punch to the face.

There was utter and complete disbelief on her face, but she was quieter than expected just looking at him expectantly to elaborate. While she did not believe, the photo was enough to at least get her to listen.

He knew he needed to focus on her believing just one portion of his incredible tale before trying to getting to harder bits, like she was a magical princess from a fairy tale land... He could only imagine her reaction to that.

_"You don't know me yet, but I assure you that I know you better than you know yourself"_

Her eyebrows raised

"_In case you are wondering I am leaning towards "crazy person" over stalker or liar.."_

"_Test me" _He said as challenging as possible.

Emma rolled her eyes and crossed her arms under her chest

"_What is my favorite colour?" _

_" To wear, red. To admire, blue, the exact blue of my eyes..." _He said, wiggling his eyebrows at her suggestively. She did NOT look amused.

_"What is my favorite drink?"_

_"Hot Chocolate with cinnamon..." " These are too easy, harder" _ He complained

She took a deep breath and looked fiercer suddenly, determine to best him.

_"What happened to me at birth?"_

_"You were found by the side of the road, in a white blanket with the name Emma on it, abandoned, and you always have wondered why they could have left you, let alone leave you like that, not even at a hospital." _Killian watched her draw in a breath of surprise

_"Who was my first love?" _

_"Neal Cassidy, who as far as you know abandoned you at 17 to a jail sentence and never looked back.."_

Emma was starting to look down right startled at this point.

"_And my deepest secret" _This one came out softer, almost like a whisper.

_"At this point in your life... probably your son, Neal's son, who you gave up for adoption when you were in prison..."_

Emma's eyes looked, almost scared now and for the first time in a while, the gun made a return appearance and was leveled again at Killian's head.

_"Who the hell are you?" _She demanded at him "_Even if I accepted you are from the future, which is insane, how would you know that?_

Killian took a deep breath and looked her right in the eyes, so she could tell what he said next was the truth.

_"Your husband, Killian Jones."_


	4. Chapter 4

**EMMA-**

Well, _crazy_ it is. Emma thought, looking at the man in front of her, her so called husband from the future.

(Crazy hot) a little voice in her head whispered, which she quickly repressed.

Except, he did not seem crazy, his eyes were clear and focused, the rest of him seeming intelligent and logical. He kept looking at her, straight at her, gauging her response, too alert, too steady almost, to be as insane as he sounded.

And he sounded pretty damn insane.

What the hell was she going to do with him? A dirty thought danced through her brain, and she smacked her own forehead in punishment.

She couldn't shake the feeling, however illogical that he was telling her the truth. She forced herself to remember that the man literally appeared out of no where. Out of thin air. She looked again at the photo in her hand, the words "first date" catching her eye.

She refused to _believe_, but she decided to humour him a little more.

"_Is this supposed to be our first date? " _She said, still skeptical, despite his obvious attractions.

"_Hmm, first real official one,_ _at least"_

"_Let me guess, we met, you asked me out and it was what, simple and immediate, rainbows and starbursts and all that nonsense?"_

He laughed at that, his eyes crinkling up in the corners in amusement as she had said the funniest thing. He looked at her again, and it got worse, more of a belly laugh and she could see him struggling to gain control.

"_For the record, you asked me out on that particular date, and we had already known each other and had quite the adventures by the time that photo was taken"_

He laughed again and when she raised her eyebrow at him, he just said "_Rainbows and starburst" _shaking his head at such a notion.

_"In what universe would you have made it that easy for me love?" _He questioned.

"_Well what happened when we first met?" "What could I have possibility done to you that you find so amusing?"_ Emma demanded, annoyed now by his obvious mirth.

_"Not much different than now, actually... "_

_"You tied me with rope to a tree and held a knife to my throat, instead of the gun and the handcuffs..." _He gestured at the gun in her hands and the offending items

"_You have a thing about handcuffing me, both in anger, and in well... the fun way.." _He smirked at her, and she flushed despite herself.

And what load of crap were you trying to get me to believe then? She wondered watching him carefully. As if reading her mind he added_  
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"_I was up to no good in your defense and you bested me. A tough lass." _

He looked off in the distance suddenly lost in the thought and looked sad and worried, the strain of his thought showing on that handsome face of his. She could not help but admire his face but wonder at the cause of his distress.

_"What's wrong?" _She asked, not able to stop herself

He ran his hand over his face again and sighed deeply. There was a pause as he looked deep in thought.

_"I need to get back to the future" _

Emma snorted, a vision of Marty McFly flashing through her head, but could see the genuine pain in his eyes. She felt confused, knowing that the man belonged in a looney bin likely, but was unable to let go to the feeling in her gut that he was telling her the truth, that he was sane, however unlikely and wild the tale.

And as she struggled to decide what to do, he looked at her, his eyes blue and clear and almost (what? loving?) and said the few words there was no way Emma could possibly resist.

"_I need your help"_

**KILLIAN**

**_" _**_I was up to no good in your defense and you bested me. A tough lass_." But as tough as Emma was, he thought, she was going to be worried sick about him when she realized he vanished without a trace. She was tough, his wife, and could take down the fiercest adversary, and their love had made her stronger, not weaker as she became more whole and gained control over her magic.

But it was not self flattery to know that she would be devastated at his disappearance, and likely determined to spring into action to find him. He hoped she kept that baby safe. He hoped she would stay with her parents for comfort, as he did when she disappeared into Wonderland.

He needed to get back as soon as possible.

_"What's wrong?" _This Emma asked, but without the warmth and love in his face he was now so accustomed to from his version of her from the future. This face was shuttered, by doubt and barricaded by walls she held at this time around her feelings, her heart.

He ran his hand over his face again and sighed deeply. He had not chance without her help.

_"I need to get back to the future" _

Emma snorted, but look sympathetic, so he continued.

"_I need your help"_

He saw the subtle shift in her with these words, realizing that even here at 27, Emma could not resist assisting someone in trouble, the saviour part of her showing, whether she knew the cause or not.

He looked around the room for the box that had started this mess in the first place, discovering it, ignored, delegated to the side of the wall it must have fallen when he came through its portal.

He walked over to it and picked it up, as Emma just watched, the gun again ready broadcasting loudly her continued doubt. He picked it up and looked it over, sad to discover that the magic shimmer he had felt in the box when he was sucked through the first time was gone, and the only sparkle left in the box was the shine of the gems themselves. He opened it up just in case, but it was nothing but a box again.

As much as he at least had Emma here, and technically could just start again with her if he could not get back, this time with the advantages of knowing all the villains and obstacles that were coming, he wanted back. Back to the wife and the life he had fought for, back to that child that he felt moving inside her each day.

He realized he could have another child with her. But his heart already felt that it knew THAT child. Not getting back would sacrifice that, not to mention the shared sense of history that helped define them. The struggles made them stronger and better. He was not sure cruising through it all again with her, preventing all the heartache with his knowledge of what was coming would make them better. Easier perhaps, but the struggled had helped them grow, helped define them.

To get back, he needed her magic to reignite the box, he needed to find a way when he left to have her forget. He set the box down on the closest table.

_Impossible,_ but that thought actually helped perk him up a bit. He loved a challenge and Emma had defeated "impossible" situations so many times he could even count.

She had been saying nothing during the minute or so it took for all this to flood through his head, until the silence was broke with

"_What can I possibly do to help you"_

**"** _Believe"_

"_How would me believing you are my time travelling husband help?"_

" _No", not believing me." " The problem is not, has never been you believing me. The problem has been is you believing, you trusting yourself, your own judgement." _

_"You abandoned me once, handcuffed me and left me behind, after I had helped you." " You said to me then that you could not take a chance that you were wrong about me, implying you did trust me, you simply did not trust yourself, your own judgment"_

_"You need to believe in yourself" " Trust your gut Swan, it will tell you what to do"_

He saw a shift with her with that, which he likened in his mind like the first few bricks coming down from the wall of hers, that this version of herself still had and protected herself with. Her green eyes were moist, and he desperately saw her struggle to let go to it, to believe.

Without thinking he stepped forward and kissed her, gently, sweetly, softly, feeling her respond to the kiss and her body soften into his. He kept it as loving as he could, not wanting her to startle her with the passion he was fully aware from experience that could explode between them at times. She caught herself suddenly, and he backed up fast ending the contact, fearful of a repeat of the knee that he had felt and was rather painful in New York.

Another brick fell of the wall, he thought as he stared at her, watching the emotions he knew so well play across her face. But the wall still stood.

_"Why go back? " _She asked suddenly, softly.

_"Why go back, if I am your wife and I am here now?"_

Without hesitation he answered, the same conclusion he had come to earlier

_"For our child. In the future you are eight months pregnant"._


	5. Chapter 5

**EMMA**

Emma sucked in her breath at the words, shaking her head in denial. Pain, real pain flashed through her at the though, the idea even of her pregnant, her mind churning immediately to the thought of the baby boy she had left behind, to give him his best chance. She told herself that what she did, but sometimes she wondered if she was no better than her mysterious unknown parents, repeating the mistake they had made when they had made the decision, for whatever god forsaken reason to abandon her on the side of a road. Should she have fought harder for him, for them? She tortured herself with such thoughts.

Did he wonder about her, as she wondered about her own parents? Would he search for her, like she was searching, always, never ending, it every face and story for them and the answers to how they could not have loved her, how they could have chosen to leave her behind?

The idea of another child did not warm her, it terrified her. It paralyzed her with fear.

That she would fail it, like she did the first child.

That she wasn't worthy. That she was not capable of being loved or loving.

She didn't want to bring another child into the world when she did not have that first one.

She felt her eyes water with the weight of her own remorse.

He stood waiting patiently through all of this for her, allowing her the time she needed, steady and supportive somehow. As if he understood. She glanced at him and thought again about that kiss he had stolen, one she suspected he had given less out of impulse or desire and more to prove to her the strength of their own attraction. Verifying at the very least, from a physical standpoint, it was not hard to imagine her progressing with that type of intimacy with him.

But there was more than that, and she felt it. It scared her, far more strangely that the idea of time travel.

"_You are thinking about Henry" _he said, encouraging her with his voice, his eyes and body language beckoning her to open up to him.

"_Who is Henry?" _

"_You are thinking about the child you gave up, your son with Neal" _he clarified. _"His name is Henry."_

Emma felt her heart skip a beat at that, as she flooded with panic, with fear, with...with... hope. She felt herself begin to shake with long repressed emotion.

"_How would you know his name..."I do not know his name..." _ She whispered almost, searching his eyes, his face for answers.

Rather than answer he just moved closer, slowly, carefully giving her the time, the opportunity to reject him, until finally he was close enough again to embrace her in a warm and comforting hug. He ran his hands down her back, soothingly to comfort and Emma tried to find the willpower to push back, to reject it, but she could not remember the last time she had the luxury of comfort from another, a simple, caring hug. While she did not hug back, she could not bring herself to stop him either.

**KILLIAN **

"_How would you know his name...I do not know his name... " _She whispered to him, and his heart literally hurt at her obvious pain. He had never got to see her when she was struggling to accept her past with Henry, to accept her love for him and become his mother. He had missed out on the first curse and missed out on their early stages together. By the time he met her, they had already broken the curse with their true love for each other, and his early memories of his wife when it came to Henry where more of fierce protector, their bond and love obvious and unconditional at that point. He missed the struggle for them to get there with each other.

This Emma had not gone through that, and it did not occur to Killian when he mentioned the baby that she still had all of the baggage from losing Henry at this point until he saw the pain, not joy flash across her face at the thought of a child.

He moved slowly, carefully, determined to comfort her without startling her or undoing the progress with her he could feel that he was making. He wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back in comfort, unconcerned that she did not reciprocate, satisfied she simply allowed the contact.

It was going to be difficult enough without altering the timeline further. He was going to have to get back before Henry makes his first appearance in her life.

"_When do you turn 28 love?" _He asked, and she finally pulled away at this, staring at him in confusion as to what for her seemed to be a strange change in conversation.

_"Five days, why?_

_"Then we have four days to get me back, because he is coming for you"_

_" Who is coming for me?"_

"_What are you talking about?_

He took a deep breath to explain.

_"Emma, this life you are living, it is all about to change for you radically. It all started on your 28th birthday when he shows up, I am assuming here to get you, to bring you home"_

_" Who shows up? What do you mean home?" "We don't live in Boston?" _She asked him, and he smiled a little at that, the question supporting his suspicion that she was starting to believe.

_"No, we live in a very special little town in Maine, called Storybrooke". _

And it was very much their home. Even with the portal, they had decided to stay in Storybrooke, to make their life their, together as the law enforcement, sharing custody of Henry with Regina, who was back and going to continue her role as town Mayor. Snow would be the "mayor/queen" and Charming the law enforcement on the other side, with the permanent portal of course allowing generous family visits.

"_Wait a minute... who is coming to bring me home? The past version of you?" _

He decided it was a little to early in her burgeoning trust to try to share the current version of him was still frozen in time with Cora in the enchanted forest, lost in revenge and clad in a dashing outfit of head to toe leather. With a hook... so he kept it as truthful and simple as he could.

"_Henry. In five days time, your son will come for you to bring you home._


	6. Chapter 6

**Killian**

She stared at him and he could tell, knew her enough to know that she had taken in all she could for the night and to try to push her further, to burden her with the rest of it would build back up those walls he had only just started dismantling...again.

He suddenly felt as tired and spent as she looked, standing there vulnerable, gun limp and forgotten in her hand, the information he had already provided swirling around her head as she looked like she struggled to process..

"_How about some pizza, rum and Netflix and we just relax a bit love and we will continue more later.."_

He removed the gun from her hand, and steered her towards the couch and she allowed him to do so.

He dug in his pocket and handed her some money asking her to handle the pizza while he went into her kitchen to search for two glasses, some ice and some rum. He heard her order pizza, her voIce dazed almost, as in shock... And re-entered the room to hand her the drink he managed to create moments earlier.

She sat there staring at the money in her hand intently and he squinted a bit and realized it was dated as being printed in 2013, three years from now. She dropped it like it burned her and she took a long deep breath followed by a healthy swig of her drink.

He settled in beside her on the other side of the couch, depressed a little at the space between them that would never had existed in the future. His lovely wife in the future after so long alone, refused to watchtelevision with him unless she was half draped somehow across his person... Not that he minded...

He searched for a movie smiling when he found the perfect candidate.

"Y_ou can not be serious" _Emma complained suddenly from her side of the couch, the sparkle in her eyes not matching the fake disdain in her voice.

"_This is perfect for us" _

_"The Princess Bride...Seriously?" _ She smiled at him, relaxed by the silliness of his choice and the warmth of the rum spreading through her. "_I would have thought Back to the FutUre..."_

_"When we can have a pirate, a princess, true love and a fairy tale adventure? _His eyes sparkled at his own inside joke, enjoying the light banter as he tried to carefully build up her fragile trust.

He needed to get her to believe in magic enough, to love again with enough strength to reactivate the portal for him. He needed to call in reinforcements for this and more importantly for help finding a potion strong enough to get her to forget.

Emma sighed suddenly beside him and without thinking he pulled her legs over his lap in a more familiar position, rubbing her feet and ankles absentmindedly as he tried to map a plan of action in his head.

**EMMA**

She had expected him to put on sports, or gore or at least a war movie. His choice entertained her, despite herself, the movie always being like guilty pleasure for her contrary to her tough exterior.

She thought about the money, handed to her innocently, without any guise. She knew how to tell if money was real counterfeitand the only sign of anything strange was the year of issue.

Whether it was her gut, or the rum she believed him. She stared at him from the corner of her eye, where he sat clearly deep in thought and could not help but admire his obvious charms.

He grabbed her legs suddenly, almost like a reflex, and lost in thought began to rub her ankles and feet as the movie began to play on the screen in front of them. His gentle massage was so natural, careless on his part as if he was just automatically falling into a well worn routine. She allowed it to assess him, to assess them, and if she was honest with herself for the simple warmth and companionship it provided after a life that had offered so little.

She knew he was just taking a break from it all, a breather before he got back to what he clearly thought would be the harder bits, and she wondered, helpless for ideas as to what could be crazier than a smoking hot time traveling husband from the future and the knowledge that her son, her deepest regret was on his way to her.

He said nothing to her other than grin at her, on some private inner joke when Wesley says to Buttercup "as you wish"

She was starting to calm down inside... To accept when the pizza arrived. She caught him then, on he way back into the room with som type of hasty note scrawled in his hand. He had not heard her re enter, purposely quiet with her movement curious to see what had sprung him suddenly into action when she exited the room.

She almost dropped the pizza at what she saw.

He opened the window, letting out a low whistle. Like out of a story book a messenger bird appeared and she could hear, hear the man she had finally accepted might not be crazy instruct the bird to find Baelfire or August, whoever they might be. But stranger still was the bird, who seemed to grab the message between it's claws with what could only be described as careful and deliberately. The bird cocked it's head to one side screeching once, and even Emma seemed to understand it was asking which one. "either, the easiest to find" Killian commanded and the bird nodded once as if understanding and flew into the night.

She let out a gasp betraying her presence an he turned to her and shrugged, as if talking to birds was a normal occurrence

"_Try not to be mad at me love, it is necessary, I need the help"_

_"How the hell did you get the bird to do that... Never mind I dont want to know..."_

_"Why would I be mad at you... I have no idea who this August or Baelfire is"_

_"oh but you do love. August is the boy they found with you all those years ago, as a baby on the side of the road. He was supposed to protect and guide you but fell prey to his own weaknesses..."_

_" And his Baelfire?" S_he questioned fascinated a little when he turned a little red and squirmed in guilt. He scratched his ear nervously...real nervously.

He hesitated and she thumped her foot impatiently on the floor wondering until suddenly the name was out of his mouth and her hand flew around her necklace, her stomach churning in dismay.

He had looked at her, dead on with all the guilt and sadness such a name would bring.

Neal.


	7. Chapter 7

**EMMA**

Neal. She tried to calm herself with the practical common sense logic that a stray bird was not really going to find and deliver a message to a man that since abandoning her to a prison cell had disappeared without a trace. She was skilled at finding people and she had looked for him in those early years, desperate for answers as to how he could have done that to her, to tear apart her fragile heart.

Neal was not coming. She reassured herself. That bird would drop that message on the street below and that would be the end of it...

The head was buying it all, but not her gut, her heart. This part of her felt angry at what felt like Killians betrayal somehow, that he would deliberately expose her to such heartbreak when she was just, maybe in small steps trying to believe... Trying to open up to him and let him in.

"_Why..." _

_"I am sorry love, but I need more than just your help with this, and they are the only people I am aware of in this land that will understand the situation, are from where I am from who are not trapped in Storybrooke at this time"_

_"What do you mean... Trapped? What are you talking about? _

Emma felt confused and tired, and a million other emotions, scrabbled together, through her being.

He approached her cautiously, giving her a sweet but brief kiss on her mouth.

"_Be patient" _He said, softly.

_"Lets eat and take a break"_

They sat eating, in silence, the movie still playing on in the background. He had pizza sauce at the corner of his mouth, and she had to fight desperately against the desire to kiss it away. There was something about him that just drew her into him, even with all the madness that surrounded the situation. She was half mad herself, clearly for allowing all of this. She struggled to keep her walls. She struggle not to believe.

He looked at her suddenly and took a deep breath, preparing himself to continue. He reached into a hidden compartment of his pocket, and pulled out a very large, thick gold coin and handed it to her.

"_Is there a place that we could exchange this for money?" "It is solid gold."_

Emma stared at the coin, not only for its obvious value, but for the strange markings on it. It looked old fashion, like treasure from an unknown historical era and she wondered where he would get such a relic but found herself equally reluctant to ask.

_"it is the very last one, the last of my past" _He said, his voice almost a little sad at its lost.

"_But since my credit cards won't work" _He smiled at her, handing them to her for her to inspect and see that their issue date on the cards was still two years into the future, _" And I refuse to burden you further, we will need the money for when August or Neal comes to assist them in getting what I need."_

_"There is a pawn shop a couple of blocks over... a little shady, but still open at this time of the night" _She said "a_nd_ _I could use some air" _ And with that they left the apartment and made their way to the shop.

The owner of the shop looked sketchy, faded as he himself had seen better days. He grabbed at the coin excitedly, as interested in the markings as Emma was earlier.

It was a very large coin, and Emma gasped at the $10,000.00 her was offered for it, but quick math told her even that was probably low for the gold value the coin contained. Well $10,000.00 and something else because a piece of jewelry in the display caught his eye in surprise, and she heard but did not see him add the piece as part of the exchange. Emma's gut had a warning flare through it and she felt uncomfortable about the strange glint in the shop owners eye, but she told herself it was likely because the coin was worth much more than Killian had received. Killian for his part seemed unconcerned about the money, too distracted by the other item he had procured.

He approached her then, holding the necklace he had just gotten to her, his eyes bright somehow.

_"For you" _He said, adding it to Neal's around her neck _"To remember me with until we met again..." _He grinned at that "_Since if all goes well, you will not be able to actually remember me..."_

The necklace was simple, inexpensive and Emma absolutely loved it. A gold circle, beautiful and elegant. It suited her somehow, and felt right around her neck.

Out of the corner of her eye Emma caught the owner of the pawn shop speaking on the phone in hushed tones, watching them far to closely.

**KILLIAN **

They were literally back to her block, it dark in the night, when Killian sensed, felt the thugs circle them before he actually saw them. Emma tensed up beside him, and without thinking reached towards where her gun should be, but wasn't, for the very logical reason that she had simply forgotten, distracted by him, by them, by the strange revelations of the evening. By how safe she had felt, suddenly in his presence.

"_Shit" _She cursed at him under her breathe and he smiled at her in reassurance, strangely happy for a bit of excitement to help him blow of some steam. Listening carefully to their footsteps on the pavement he knew there was four of them, and he mapped out their various positions in his well trained brain.

_"Get out of the way when its time" _He whispered to her softly just as the first one stepped in front of them, a sharp and deadly looking knife gleaming from the light of the street lamp. Killian grinned wider at the knife. If they had a gun they would show it now as a sign of strength.

_"I hear you have some money for me" _The leader said menacingly, as two of the other three appeared beside him. _"Hand it over and we will not have to filet you..."_

_" Because I am a gentleman, I will give you the opportunity to turn around and leave us alone" _Killian warned, the pirate in him hoping they would refuse, itching for a fight to blow off the stress he felt at the situation...

There was a brief nervous pause from the leader, confused by the lack of fear, before he made the mistake a stepping closer to Emma and it started.

Quick, with 300 years of tavern bar fights, alley jumps and general pirate behaviour behind him, it began, with Killian quickly snatching out an divesting the first one of his knife. He kicked it towards Emma for her protection, and barehanded continued the fight, working his way through the four men with a speed he knew was impressive.

He was careful not to injure, to kill, focusing instead on simply knocking each man unconscious.

When it was all over and the men where down, he turned to Emma for praise or admiration at his little show of strength, which for once was not bested by Emma's herself and her own powerful magic.

Instead she stood there, not afraid exactly but clearly unimpressed, back pressed against the wall of the building, knife clutched in her hand but not threatening.

_"There was only four" _He said, as if to try to reassure her.

She stared at him, and he knew her enough to know she was going to focus, to use that super power of hers against him.

_"How did you just do that" _She demanded

_"Who the hell are you?" _


	8. Chapter 8

**KILLIAN**

He evaded the question for now, and managed to settle her enough for them to get back to her apartment to sleep for the night, her in her room, and him on the couch.

He missed HIS Emma, his future Emma, with her love, her support. He fell asleep dreaming of her, of them, and of the child that would be... if only he could find his way back.

He was startled awake by morning, and a loud pounding on the door of the apartment, urgent sounding and eager. Emma exited her room, signalling him to hold the door until she could quickly change.

_"Who is it" _Killian asked, his heart beating at the hope?worry? it was Neal, long dead in his time.

_"August" _Came the response, muffled by the door.

"_Just a minute mate" _Killian instructed, slowly making his way to the door, watching for Emma to re-appear. He noticed her gun strapped back on her hip and the obvious apprehension in her eyes. He opened the door, and August entered thee room, fast, clearly worried, panicked by the message that the bird had brought him. He glanced around the room, relaxing slightly at the sight of Emma, alive and well, but then turned angrily to Killian to confront him.

_"What the hell is going on? _August demanded _"Who are you? What is the emergency with Emma that could threaten everyone? How do you know my true identity?_

Killian blinked at so many questions, asked urgently and desperately at once and glanced warily at Emma when he responded

"_I am from the future mate" I messed with something I should not have touched and got sucked back to this time and into Emma's apartment. I need your help to figure out how to get a memory loss potion to erase her memory of me so as not to disrupt the time line, and you of course as well after"_

_"The future? Is the curse broken then? _

_"Yes, yes... Emma breaks the curse and then 100 other things all happen, and I need to get back to the future Storybrooke."_

Emma had been silent at this, but finally interrupted

_"What are you talking about curses? How can I break a curse? Seriously what is going on?  
><em>

August looked at her and Killian, stating simply

"_You have not told her yet... what does she know?"_

Killian did not answer the question directly, turning to Emma instead to continue.

_"Here me out love..." _He pleaded and began

_"None of us in this room are from this world, including you. You were sent here, with August as a baby, he was a child, through a magical portal from our world, the Enchanted Forest, to save you from a curse, a curse that you as the savour are destined to break."_

The look on Emma's face was comical, as if she did not know whether to laugh at him, punch him in the face or medicate what seemed to be a serious mental illness. She looked over to August, and he could see her surprise on him nodding his head in support of the information in which Killian was trying to tell her, and more importantly to get her to believe.

_"Another realm, the Enchanted forest, a curse... " _Emma started, stopping mid way to just shake her head back and forth in disbelief.

_"I have no idea who he is, but he is telling the truth" _August added, reluctantly. _"I was supposed to stay with you, to help guide you, but I was weak, and I failed you..." _

**EMMA**

Emma was pretty sure she was either dreaming or she was officially as nuts as these men. A different, realm, the enchanted forest, a curse. It was such nonsense, and she longed to discount it, to find the desire strong enough to call the police on these crazy people and end this farce. Well, at least they were both nice to look at...

And yet... Killian had appeared in her apartment out of nowhere. His money and credit cards supported his story, not to mention the picture. Even if he could fake that photo somehow, what was the chances that she would feel herself drawn to him so completely, that the attraction would be there to a degree that it was so easy to believe that there could be something good between them in the future. The new arrival, August something, was also a handsome man, attractive and other than him supporting the story and him coming from a message from a bird and all that, seemed sane. She watched him when he talked and she got no tell from either man that they were lying and other than the outrageous story nothing else to indicate insanity.

_Another realm, the Enchanted forest, a curse... " _Emma started, stopping mid way to just shake her head back and forth in disbelief. Despite herself, she was listening to this, if not quite believing it, she was at least open to it, since she could not shake the feeling, deep in her gut that this was the truth. That she could trust this handsome stranger that declared himself her husband so sincerely.

_"I have no idea who he is, but he is telling the truth" _August added, reluctantly. _"I was supposed to stay with you, to help guide you, but I was weak, and I failed you..." _

_"Hmmm... and who are you supposed to be?" _She asked the newcomer skeptical.

_"Pinocchio" _

Emma laughed at that, despite herself, having expected him to claim someone more realistic or believable.

_"You are a wooden boy... really?" _She looked over to Killian at the joke but he was looking at her, straight in her eyes and nodding his head, indicating to her that this is also what he believed this human adult male's so called identity was.

_"My father Gepetto made the wooden wardrobe that saved you and sent you to this realm. He loved me and wanted to save me too, so he sent me with you. Your parents never knew, or your mother would have gone instead of me., they thought the wardrobe only fit one. " "The curse was coming and you were the only hope, fated to break the curse when you were 28 and save everyone..."_

Emma rubbed her hands on her head, feeling an headache coming on as the story became increasingly bizarre. No wonder, Mr. Handsome did not want to tell her the whole thing earlier.

_"I need Caffeine... "_ She declared, using that as an excuse to exit the room, where she proceeded to eavesdrop instead on their conversation. 

_"Why tell her about herself, when she obviously does not want to believe, just to get her to forget?"_ August (as she refused to think of him as Pinocchio) asked Killian. She had to strain to hear what he said

"_I messed around with a box of Rumplestinskins, not my brightest moment, to be truthful and I need powerful magic in addition to the memory spell to re-activate the box to get me back. I was hoping you could help me, would know who could cast a memory potion in this world, and I would work on getting the box reactivated." _

_"Do you have magic that powerful?" _August asked and Emma could not help but hear in their voices that they believed what they were saying was true.

"_No, Emma does." _Emma could not hear the rest of what was being said, so she re-entered the room.

_"I can assure you I do not have magic." _Emma said and Killian just raised his eyebrow at her and smiled knowingly.

_"Who else did that message go to?" _August asked suddenly. _"The bird flew away and took the note with him again..." _

" _Baelfire"_ Killian said at the same time Emma added "_Neal"._

August nodded at that "_I know someone in the East that could cast the potion, but I do not know the ingredients. Baelfire, with his father and all, may actually know how to do it, even though he hates magic"_

_"Wait wait..." _Emma said, not able to help herself.

_"You are telling me that Neal is a fairy tale character too, which one Mickey Mouse?" _She asked sarcastically, her arms crossed. The men exchanged glances and Killian finally answered

"_He is not a famous one, love, he is Baelfire. Not all of us are in the story books and famous. However, his father Rumplestikin, the dark one, the crocodile, the beast is one of the most powerful, most feared, and most dangerous, and unfortunately the very individual I liberated the box from that got me into this mess.."_

She looked at him then, his good looks, his confidence and the quickness he had been able to dispatch the thieves last night.

"_Are you a famous character that I have heard of?" _She asked, and he grinned at her confidently, nodding his head affirmatively at the question.

_"I was relatively well known, you certainly knew the stories about me when we first met" "Although I must say I am more charmingly handsome than the stories give me credit for.."_

Emma rolled her eyes at that

_"Out with it then, who?" _She demanded and without thinking said the first option that came to her mind

"_You are not going to try to convince me that you are Prince Charming?" _She was joking at that but then saw the seriousness of his expression that the name meant something to him

_"Come on, seriously?" _

"_No love, I assure you that as charming as I am, I am certainly not Prince Charming, who I sometimes call David."_

There was a dramatic pause and then he said

"_And you call Dad."_


	9. Chapter 9

**EMMA**

_"Prince Charming is my father..." _Emma said rolling her eyes despite herself, "_Which would make my mother who Cinderella?" _

_"No, no" _Killian corrected, as if it was obvious_ "Snow White" _

_"Of course, Snow White... how silly of me" _Emma was as sarcastically as possible, and was feeling increasingly done with this bizarre conversation. _"My parents, Snow White and Prince Charming, abandoned me through a portal as a newborn to another realm..."way to show a kid love" _

When Emma was little, all she used to long for them, her parents. Scenario after scenario would flow through her childhood imagination, such as they were kidnapped, or spies or someone had stolen her from them, and they had loved her, had wanted her all along. Ever day, there absence had only proven the opposite and reinforced to Emma that she was alone in the world. She wanted them desperately to be real, to ache for her as she ached for them, but even in her wildest youthful fantasies had Emma ever wanted them to be a fairytale Prince and Princess. No thank you. She would settle for some sob story teenage pregnancy like her own, and be happy for it, without the need for her parents to be something so fantastic as to be completely unreal in her brain.

_"They are the best people I know, and they love you. You are reunited and very much a family, although given various curses and realms have left us physically all the same age, while they try to parent as they just can't help themselves, they are more than just family, they are our best friends."_

_"Swan, they wanted to give you your best chance" _Killian pleaded at her, August nodding his head in agreement, and her heart hurt at that, reminding her of her own reasons for having given her own child away. The words rang true, if only because they were so familiar in her heart as her excuse for her own fears and failings.

_"So where are they now then?"_

_"Frozen by the curse in Storybrooke, a curse you are destined to break.."_

The man named August looked at Killian then, and asked

_"Where is the current version of you, then?" _

Her so called hubby responded

_"Not everyone from the Enchanted Forest was caught in the first curse, there was an area of us left behind, frozen as well, waiting for the curse to break"_

_"What do you mean "first" curse" _

_"There have been three, which I have been fortunate enough to evade all of them, self preservation is a skill set of mine"_

_"Sure buddy..." _Emma replied, sassing him_ " Just like you keep evading my question about your fairy tale identity? "_

She watched him smile at that, and wondered at his silence on the subject. Rather than answer her, he moved closer, his hand joining hers. She did not know why she let him, really, and it occurred to her to push him away, to disentangled their fingers, joined together as if they belonged that way. A simple tug would all that it would take to separate them. Instead however, she moved closer, wrapped her own fingers around firmer, happy for the simple comfort the warmth of them brought. Despite all the crap around her right now, there was that at the base of it all. He made her happy.

He also made her feel... she couldn't quite place it the feeling, but the emotion he brought out in her was the one thing that prevented her from discounting the madness that came from that (she tried not to think overly about it) mouth of his. She did not wish to analyze it overly, knowing doing so would only further terrify her, but without thinking she moved even closer again, as if his very nearness, someone provided her strength and support.

She saw the August fellow watch this, eyebrow raised finally stating simply

"_Well don't you too seem a bit cosy for having just met." _

The words were hardly out of his mouth when there was another knock on the door. There was urgency in the knock, enough that the new entry did not wait, instead tossing the door open and entering into the room.

The air seemed to leave Emma's lungs. She had a decade to get over him, a decade to prepare, but none of it was enough, it would never be enough to stop the flood of pain, of loss of betrayal that flooded through her at the sight of him, older and disheveled on her doorstep. Totally unconsciously, as if to protect herself from the pain of it all, she pushed herself even closer up against Killian's side.

Neal.

**KILLIAN**

_"Sure buddy..." _Emma complained "_ Just like you keep evading my question about your fairy tale identity? "_

Killian did not want to go there for a very good reason. Being thought of as a fairy tale villain was not going to help his cause, and he was certainly not going to lie to her and invent another identity for himself. She would know if he lied and he did knew her acceptance of this and him was fragile at best. He could not risk shattering it.

In order to comfort himself that progress was actually being made despite her obvious skepticism at it all he moved closer, joining his hand with hers, and he felt instantly calmer and more relaxed when she reciprocated the gesture, moving closer to her.

It pained him to put her all through this, only to force her later to forget, but it was necessary. Her magic was fueled and powered by love, and he needed her to understand that she had magic, believe in it, believe in him, if he had any chance getting enough love out of her to fuel that magic and re-activate the box when he had only days until Henry arrived and her 28th birthday.

He had days to get her to love him, when before it had taken so many adventures, so much time.

He hoped his own love for her, so powerful within him was enough to guide her there faster. He looked at her then, allowing the emotion he felt show openly on his face. He had almost forgotten August's presence when August said

__"Well don't you too seem a bit cosy for having just met." _ _

The words were hardly out of his mouth when there was a knock on the door, and then the door barged open without waiting for a response. He had been dreading/longing for this moment, as Neal arrived in the door. Killian looked at the man, who should feel like a rival, but to Killian at least felt only like a long lost friend or child, that boy he had genuinely loved and failed to keep safe so many many years ago. Killian's heart hurt at the knowledge that this was likely the last interactions he would have with Bae again, and decided no matter what, Bae's death was one secret he would not be sharing with any of them, as it was just too painful.

Baelfire looked disheveled, hurried and exhausted, having clearly travelled immediately and with haste from where ever the messenger bird had found him. His eyes did not focus on Killian at first, racing first to Emma and his overwhelming need to reassure himself that she was safe.

_"Emma, are you okay?" _And Killian watched the emotions play across Neal's face as he felt Emma tense beside him. He rubbed her back in comfort. She felt her emotions play within her in the tense of her body.

"_Neal" _August said, drawing his eyes away from Emma and allowing Killian the time to control his own competing emotions at the sight of someone he thought lost forever to him. He wanted to hug Neal, to welcome him, but he knew the rejection such a gesture would bring him.

"_Apparently, Emma's friend here is from the future and he messed with a box of your father's and he needs our help in getting a portion to take away all of our memories once he finds a way to re-active the box and leave, otherwise the timeline and the future is in danger." _August explained, while Killian continued to stare at Neal, waiting for him to acknowledge his presence.

"_August" _Neal hissed at him, and Killian noted the tension between the men, _"We would not want anything to prevent the saviour breaking her curse would we?" _To Killian's ears it all sounded a little bitter. Emma seemed to spring alive beside him suddenly with that a look of shock on her face when she realized Neal was agreeing with this crazy scenario.

"_So you are supporting this story? You are agreeing with these two that we are all from the Enchanted Forest, and my parents are Snow White and Prince Charming, and I need to break a curse?" _Emma's voice shook a little with this.

_"Yes". _Neal said simply

"_Then who is that really?" _Emma demanded pointing to August

_"Pinocchio, he is the one that told me who you were, who told me I needed to leave you... "_

_"You abandoned me to jail, because Pinocchio told you to? _ Emma almost yelled at him, and Killian winced at the pain, the real deep hurt he could feel radiating from wounds that he had forgotten to consider, since they had long been healed in his own time.

Neal looked around abit, in desperation to avoid Emma's eyes, and Killian watched as he finally looked him straight in the face, something that he had avoided doing to date, distracted likely by his own deep emotions at seeing both Emma and August again.

When Neal's eyes widened in shock, it was obvious without his pirate clothes and hook, Neal has not instantly recognized who else he was dealing with. Beside him Emma noticed the look of recognition from Neal, and he knew she was picking up on the strange tension that flowed between him and Bae with their complicated past and history.

He felt her deep intake of breath.

_"Then who is this?" _Emma asked softly and Killian could do nothing to prevent the next words out of Baelfire mouth, said with something akin to a little horror at discovering him here and a little disgust at the obvious closeness that was building between him and his Swan.

_"My God" _Neal cried, looking at him. And then:

"_HOOK" _


	10. Chapter 10

**EMMA**

"_HOOK_"

Emma felt, rather than saw Killian wince beside her at the words that tumbled out of Neal's mouth, in clear recognition.

"_As in CAPTAIN Hook?" _She asked, not able to stop herself from suggesting the very first thing that came to mind. Killian looked at her then saying simply

"_Aye"._

A rush of emotions flooded through Emma, and as much as this man certainly did not have a wax mustache or seem like a baboonish fairy tale villain, there were small pieces that seemed to click. The gold coin that looked very much like pirate treasure, the way he easily took down four men with excitement instead of fear... the way he had grinned at her last night at that movie, with its not so villainous "dread pirate Roberts" and holy shit! if she was the child of Snow White and Prince Charming as these three claimed, Princess Buttercup... Pirate and a Princess.

She felt denial, anger, shock, all kinds of feelings race through her, and was surprised at the one that surfaced when she went to finally respond. Laugher. She just began to giggle at the silliness of the situation. Tears tinged the corners of her eyes as she laughed at him. A villain. It figures. Such is her taste in men.

"_Should you not have a Hook?" _She finally managed to ask

"_I did love, for a really long time, until I got my hand back, briefly at first from the dark one, and later, from your own magic..." _He smiled at her smugly _"Not that you ever minded the hook, always thought there was something sexy about it..." _ Emma looked into his face and that cheeky grin of his and rolled her eyes, but also grinned despite herself. Man, he was a fine looking man, which was saying something as the other two in the room where also not to shabby...

_"Hey" _Neal interrupted her thought, clearly upset about there interactions_ "You are telling me Hook -that my father just, what exactly... gave you back your hand one day out of the kindness of his heart? Since when did you stop trying to kill each other?"_

"_Let just say we called ourselves a truce. We simply occasionally blackmail, steal and manipulate the other, but no direct physical harm is allowed..." _ Killian said, and Emma could see the tension in him talking about Neal's father. She wondered at there history, and how a pirate could feel, if not exactly pure, then at the very least safe and trustworthy, which was a lot considering he believed himself a character from a children's novel and all...

"_Is your ship here? Can we use it in this quest of yours?" _Neal asked, and Emma wondered how much about him that she never really knew about. Either they really all were from another realm, or in the alternative, her first love was equally insane as the man beside her that despite herself was, well growing on her. Neal had always been vague about his past, and the obvious hurt he had faced there was part of what bonded them together, drew them into one. She looked over at August then, who had been silently taking it all in, and reminded herself, that all it took for Neal was to be told to leave her be and he had, without looking back. She tried to give him the credit for coming now to help, but the anger and hurt was still too fresh.

_"No, I no longer have a ship, as I have traded in my days on the seas for a new life..." _Killian stated pointing at the Sheriffs badge pinned still to his chest. _" Of course, I will always be a bit of a pirate." _

Emma watched the interaction between the men and wondered at their history. The dynamic, the tension was unusual, very difficult to place. From Killian, she got this sense of deep caring about Neal, and he seemed completely unconcerned about any romantic rival, which Emma thought spoke a lot about the solidity of their relationship, his trust in them if jealously was not surfacing. From Neal, she was getting a different vibe, certainly some jealously as he glanced at Killian (she refused to even think of him as Hook) and her hands, still clinging together, as if to face him, together as a team. Had she really only met him yesterday of all things...

"_I told you I could change Bae... I would have changed for you, if you stayed, if you were willing to be a family together..:" _Killian suddenly said softly, and Emma heard the pain and wistfulness in his voice and suddenly felt very uncomfortable about what type of "family" or history these two men had together. What the hell?

"_You betrayed me when you did not tell me who you were from the beginning" _

"_I was consumed by revenge, but I cared Bae, I wanted us to stay together... to rebuild together..."_

_"You were too dark, too consumed by desire to kill my father... how could I have trusted that?.."_

Emma watched this exchange, feeling increasingly uncomfortable at the tie these men had together. WTF, she thought, were they lovers? What the hell was going on. She was more startled by this than the idea that Killian was a fairy tale villain, which said a lot about her state of mind... she had no issues with bromance, but in this particular case she suddenly felt hot jealously creep over herself as she tried to struggle to understand the exchange. She looked over at August, but he was no help, clearly by the look of interest on his face equally unaware of the history that Emma's men shared.

Killian looked down at her then, remembering her presence, and smiled when he realized her misunderstanding,

_"No love, not that kind of family..." _he corrected her _" I wanted to raise him like my son"_

Emma raised her eyebrow at that, which seemed even weirder given that the men were roughly the same age than the conclusion she was jumping to on her own.

_"His mother, Milah, was my first love. She left his father for me, and when he finally caught up to us, he ripped out her heart and crushed it in front of me, then cut off my hand. I escaped into Neverland, vowing my revenge, and came across Bae, then just a boy, Milah's boy. I was, like a step father to him, like Henry" _

"_Whose Henry?"_ Neal interjected to this and Emma gave Killian a warning look at that one and quickly interrupted to distract from the question she certainly did not want to explore with Neal.

_"Your father murdered your own mother?"_

_"So the pirate claims" _Neal said, but quickly sighed and amended it when Killian gave him a disgruntled look at that one, and Emma saw the regret flick across Neal's face _" Okay yes, I told you my childhood was a little fucked up, I just left out the part where my father was the crocodile to Captain Hook here... can you blame me?"_

_"I hate to interrupt what appears to be a fascinating family reunion of sorts, but we should be focusing on the task at hand" _August said, arms crossed having been forgotten about in the conversation.

"_What do we need to do?" _

**KILLIAN**

"_What do we need to do?" _August said, clearly wanting to end what was quickly becoming a convoluted and complicated situation.

Killian tried to focus on what he was saying, but he was caught up with the past, and Bae, and memories. He saw so much of Bae in Henry sometimes and he longed to talk to him about his son, and the man he was becoming. Henry was someone to be proud of, with the best qualities of his family. Strong and sure, he brought out the best in Killian, like Emma, the light.

He let go of Emma's hand, and reached across to hug him. He didn't care that Baelfire awkwardly patted him on the back, failing to reciprocate the hug as it wasn't really the point. Killian knew what the future held and wanted any moments that time travel managed to give to him to be warm and positive ones. Bae would be lost to him in the future, and he refused to inflict anymore pain on him then necessary to get home. He stepped back away, turning to Emma, the apprehension on her face mixing with another brick falling off that wall, struggling to let in the light and to just believe. She looked moved at the sight of them, and also a little horrified at the past colliding with what was apparently her future.

He smiled at her and said solidly, with the praise he wanted Neal to have _"He is a hero you know, in the future. He helped us in Neverland get home, he helped us find the villain of the moment as well..."_

He saw Neal be taken back a little by the words and tried to smile at him encouragingly. He watched his eyes flicker to the hand (and widen at the wedding band on it) and the Sheriffs badge pinned to his chest.

_"I am not the only hero am I?" "It looks like you have been busy reinventing yourself." _Neal paused giving him the once over. _"I want to doubt it, but you are lighter, you feel lighter. _He watched Neal's eyes flicker across him again and his far more respectiable appearance.

"_I used to have a love affair with leather, jewelry and, what did you call it guyliner?" _He said grinning wickedly at Emma. _"I look devilishly handsome in tight leather pants"_

_"Seriously, what it the plan?" _August interrupted again, becoming impatient, while Emma just slapped him lightly on the arm in response to his flirtation.

"_I have money" _Killian said handing the $10,000.00 to Baelfire, trusting him despite his thief past far more than August. "_I need you two to go and work together and get three potions to take away Emma and your memories at the end of this while I work on getting the box I stole from Rumple working again with Emma." _

_"I know the ingredients, but we need someone able to cast the spell to make it" _

Killian nodded at Bae, and looked over at Emma. He already had enough on his plate with her to get her to love at the intensity necessary to unleash her white magic into that box. Mixing a potion was another thing entirely, and he would have no idea how to get her to do that. Raw magic in one direction was one thing, spell casting required a finesse that this Emma would not have without the help of Regina or Gold teaching her.

_"I know someone in the Far East who can make the potion", _August reminded _"But even with airplanes it will take over a day, maybe two to get there and back." _Killian watched him look meaningfully to Neal and start to move towards the door _"We should get going now, to get all this done befor Emma turns 28 and it all begins to start."_

Killian nodded, and added

"_I am sorry for this mates" _He said as sincerely as he could manage. _"And I thank you for your willingness to help." "I knew better than to mess with anything Rumplestikin had on his person, even though we are part of the same family now, we still struggle with our history." _He grinned at Emma _"At least when I get back the future version of you will protect me from his wrath..."_

_"I'm sorry... what? What do you mean family?" _ He winced at that, realizing his mistake and looked guiltily at Emma who was giving him a death glare. He signalled her to speak since it was her story to tell.

"_Apparently Killian here is my husband in the future_" Emma said, shrugging, trying to take the hit off Neal by being as casual as possible despite the deep feelings she actually felt on the topic.

"W_hich does not explain how that make Hook and my father family" _Killian watched the exchange wanting to comfort both of them, disgusted at himself that he has caused this big mess with his carelessness putting them through this unnecessary pain. He could see the hurt flow between them, almost like a wave of energy vibrating across the room. Black and blue in color and bruising them both.

_"We have a son, , Neal. When you left me I was pregnant. I gave him up for adoption but apparently he was raised in this Storybrooke which is cursed and he is coming for me" _

Killian felt bad for Neal as he watched the anger, regret and confusion dance across the man's face. His face first red in anger and then colourless in his pain.

"_His name is_ _Henry"_


	11. Chapter 11

**NEAL**

He had a son. A son. Pain shot through Neal at that, the thought of his son growing up without him, without his father, and the wounds left of him from his own father's actions felt like they were ripped open suddenly, bleeding.

How ironic that Emma and him would do to their own child what they themselves were victims of, which caused them the greatest pain. He stared at Emma, in horror, his heart full of his remorse, his regret. He should never have listened to August, he should never had left. He was so desperate for a normal life when he found out who she was, that she was not just from there but important, critical he wanted nothing to do with it. He did not want to look back.

And he sacrificed everything with this mistake. Let himself be defined by his cowardice, like his father before him.

_"What is h__e like?" _He asked, and he could hear the pain in his own voice as he croaked out the words.

"_I have no idea" _Emma declared bitterly at him _"I gave him up for adoption because I was incarcerated when I gave birth to him because YOU abandoned me." _ Her eyes flooded with tears and Neal blinked back the desire he had to try to comfort her. He watched as Killian clearly did not have the hesitation, as he moved towards Emma, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and rubbing her back in silent support. While Emma did not exactly move into it, she also made no move to pull away, accepting Hook's touch.

_"He is a good lad" _Hook said to all of them _"You are both proud of him and you will both meet and be part of his life in the future" _This surprised Neal, as Killian was actively trying to diffuse both of their pain. HE spoke softly and reassuring, and for a second Neal thought he might even try to give him another awkward hug.

He stared at Killian in surprise, taking him in, really looking at him. He did not recognize him at first and for good reason. It was far more than a change of clothes and a second hand. There was a lightness where Neal had only seen darkness like his father, a goodness replacing the overwhelming need for revenge. He had shed the weight of despair that had hung around him over the death of Neal's mother, and Neal wondered for the first time ever, what might have been had he allowed Hook a real chance to raise and support him.

He clearly believed he was Emma's husband, and should have been lashing out at him and the romantic threat that he presented. Neal wondered at that, and the patience and well... almost kindness that seemed to radiate from the man that stood before him.

"_Who are you?" _He said to Hook, shocked to realize that he has said the words out loud.

Killian looked at him directly and said simply "_Your friend and I need your help"_

Neal's anger was gone replaced only by sadness. He glared at August, not thrilled to have to work with him, but realized it was not fair to blame August for his own choices, his own lack of belief in Emma, in them, that they were worth fighting for, no matter where she was from.

"_Okay, we can head out with the money, and working together, we should be able to be back in two days with the potions. It will be difficult, but as much as I hate magic, I know enough to do it, with the help of the person August knows to actually cast the spell."_

_"But I still don't understand Hook, how you will get back?" _

Neal watched as Killian picked up an ornate jeweled box and handed it to him.

"_All I need is enough magic to re-activate this, and it should bring me back as long as I think of home" _ Killian explained. _"Of course, then I have to deal with Rumple, but Emma will protect me there. Rumple is too afraid of her to mess with her..." _

Neal snorted at that, and wondered, what the hell he was talking about. His father was not afraid of anyone, let alone Emma, who looked pretty harmless, standing there, still way too close to Hook for Neal's liking, tear streaks down her face from the drama, and a little tired looking now, from having to try to follow along with it all.

"_Now I know you are lying because my father is afraid of no one" " And where are you going to get magic strong enough to re-active a time portal? I may not have magic, but I know magic enough to know that you would need an incredibly powerful source of magic to accomplish such a thing... I doubt even the dark one could do it"_

He watched as something danced across Killian's face, maybe amusement and he looked at Emma in a way that Neal could only describe as pure pride.

_"Emma has powerful white magic. In many ways while she still lacks the knowledge of Regina and your father in the future, even they both conceded after Hades was defeated by her that her magic was the strongest, the purest, as the product of true love" _ Killian grinned cockily "_With a true love ... and all"_

**AUGUST**

August was getting impatient, being ignored and delegated to the sidelines as the other's talked. He was not thrilled about having to assist this stranger, who apparently was a pirate of all things, but believed him that he was who he said. He radiated a sincerity that August could not discount.

This was August's chance to help Emma, to put past the regret that he felt, by making the wrong choice, by leaving her behind when she was an infant, by not staying and protecting and guiding her as he should have done. He had failed his father by falling into temptation and he was eager at the chance to help, to try to make amends with the future for his behaviour.

Plus, August loved to explore and travel. He loved the far east, and any excuse to revisit that was a plus in his books.

He did not regret the decision that he had made in pulling the young lovers here apart all those years ago. He had played his part in fate, and as much as it was fate, these things were molded by everyone's own choices. Neal made the choice to walk away, just as he had made that same mistake himself by failing Emma when she was a baby. Neal may rage at him a little on the trip, but August was indifferent.

He saw the revulsion that coursed through Neal at the news of Emma's magic and knew how Neal hated magic, hated anything that tied him to the past. If Emma had magic as powerful as the pirate sheriff beside her claimed, they were not a good match for each other anyways. Killian's reaction was something Neal could not have been capable of, support and awe and pride.

August gestured at Neal that it was time to go, and he watched again apart from the group a little, while they said awkward goodbyes.

When he exited on his way with Neal, it became obvious that Neal's coping method for all of this was to treat August to silence. He smiled at that grateful a bit, not bothered by the silence, looking forward to the journey to his own redemption.


	12. Chapter 12

**EMMA**

Emma let out a pent up sigh, of, maybe relief? when August and Neal left for their adventure. She felt like she had been hit by a bus. All she wanted to do was curl herself into a ball and cry, maybe throw a heavy quilt over herself in bed and hope, against all hope when she woke she would discover this all a crazy dream...

Except... if it was all a dream, that would meant that she would not have him.

She felt his warmth beside her, quiet, patient and steady, giving her the moment to allow herself to fall a little bit a part into pieces at having to confront time travel, true love, a lost son, a old heart break and the new that her parents were not just out there _wanting_ her, but god damn Prince Charming and Snow White of all people.

_"Swan, love" _He said softly, and she let him take her into his arms, to comfort her, unable to resist.

She didn't know what it was about him that allowed her the familiarity to do what she did next, but as he wrapped his arms around her she felt safe, safe enough to allow herself the luxury to do something she rarely did... cry. She started to cry, hot, wet tears, the ugly kind that made your face red and blotchy and your nose run. She felt the sobs rack through her body and she allowed herself to simply grieve, for the past, for the future.

She could not ignore him, the way he stayed with her through it all, silent but present in his support, at first his hands just tracing circles on her back, hands running down her arms in comfort, but later as the tears increased to what felt very much like a panic attack, he became more firm, more present, cupping her face and his hands and peppering her with kisses. Even through her grief, even through the tears she could not help but marvel at the beauty of him, of the love he expressed for her through simple expressions on his face and warm gestures. It was easy for her to believe, despite the madness surrounding her, that she would want this man... as she wanted him already.

She started to kiss him then, part to get her mind of Neal and the everythingness of it all, partly out of simple want of him. She pressed herself against him, and did her best to devour him suddenly, kissing him as hotly and passionately as she could manage, pouring it all into their embrace. It was a like a light switch where one minute he was passive and the next he was responding, matching her caresses and taking it fast one level further, his hands everywhere, his mouth on her neck sucking, nipping, tasting her.

Good god.

Holy hell.

Emma was not quite certain how she stayed standing on her feet, such was the effect of him, of them, of their mutual heat. It took no time before she was shaking with it, the need to be closer, to climb into him both physically and emotionally. If she ever doubted his story of their future, the last bit vanished as he knew exactly what her sweet spots where and wasted no time exploited them. He knew his way around his body, and she longed to know the same spots on him. To forget? To begin? She wasn't sure and didn't care. She simply wanted. Oh god she wanted.

She grabbed at his clothing trying to remove it, to feel the heat of him on her skin. To brand themselves together with their mutual passion, when he pulled away suddenly, separating them.

Emma grabbed back at him desperately, the void between them feeling harsh and cruel. But he danced further away again to defeat her. She looked at him then, wild in his own passion, panting almost, shaking from the want of it as well, but clearly determined to maintain the distance.

Emma made an undignified whine in frustration gritting out between her teeth only

"_Why"_

_"Love, I can't, I have this rule about being with past versions of ourselves..."_

_"That is the stupidest thing I ever heard"_

_"So you have already made clear to me love, but it seems hypocritical of me to expect you not to with past me, and ignore my own rule the other way around..." _

_"There have been a few situations when you have encountered past me, and I have specifically told you to look but not touch"_

_"Again, stupid"_

_"Love, I was a pirate, I didn't want you near the old me..."_

Emma felt violent suddenly

_"Get back here..." _she growled, and he moved away again, which infuriated her further as she could see, she could SEE for crying out loud that he wanted her as well...

Without thinking she extended her hands and motioned him closer to her, a little angry at the incompletion of what had started. She felt something as she did it, flow through her arms, like a crackle of heat or electricity. It was like a small jolt and she felt it flow out of her fingers and she watched as it appeared to hit him, without pain, but propelling him forward back into her arms.

As much as she was happy to have his heat pressed back up against her, warming her up again, the shock, the sheer shock of what had happened caused her to be the one to pull back.

She step back from him, and watched as his initial surprise of having been launched back against her disappeared into a happy grin.

"_What the HELL was that?_ Emma stuttered staring at her hands in something akin to horror.

"_That my love was your magic, and I must say, a promising good start_


	13. Chapter 13

**KILLIAN**

Killian was excited at the show of magic, from Emma, the progress that was being made, but realized how very far that was from having the kind of power she would need to generate re-activating the portal. It was like getting the light bulb to light when you needed enough juice to power the city. A start, but still a small one.

Emma continued to stare at her hands in shock, any other thoughts on her mind gone, horrified from the magic that had come out of her.

Killian knew Emma, and knew, now, that the magic had at least broken down Emma's last little disbelief in the story. Emma at least now completely believed.

The spark between them was one thing, but it was never going to be enough to generate the type of magic he needed from Emma. He knew from experience how difficult it had been before she got real control over her magic, how she first needed to embrace love and more importantly than that, become more whole and embrace herself.

How could he accomplish from her in two days what had almost taken two years?

The plan, in the end, needed to be the simplest. To simply be with her, spend time with her, get to know each other. Talk.

_"Emma love, sit down. You have been through a lot today" _Killian stated, steering her down into a chair and beginning the simple task of making her breakfast. He laughed as she continued to stare at her hands like they were alien creatures strapped to her body. She briefly extended them and seemed to point them a bit, and he could tell she was trying to see if magic sparked out of them again, but the moment, with all the emotions necessary that had helped fuel it, had passed, and they were nothing again but ordinary hands.

_"I seriously have magic?" _She finally said

_"Yes love, although it takes time for you to build it up and control it, you become very powerful... eventually..."_

_"Am I a witch or something... god, if you are Captain Hook, please don't tell me that I am the wicked witch of the west or something?_

_"No love, you are certainly not Zelena, the witch, who you helped defeat"_

_"Your serious...she's real too?"_

_"So says the daughter of Prince Charming and Snow White" _

_"I really have parents?" _

_"Yes love, more than that really, you have the best parents, parents that love you, that want you. Snow, as annoyingly optimistic as she can be, has a pure heart and is genuinely a good person. She tries you now to do what's best and was just as devastated to have missed you as a child as you were to miss them."_

_"Charming, or David as he is also is called, works with us in the Sheriffs station. He is selfless, brave and everything you would expect Prince Charming to be." " They love you, and you love them. You are a family, although it is a little weird with them frozen by the curse that you are all the same age physically..."_

Killian putted around the kitchen while they talked, making breakfast the way that he knew his Swan liked it, and she sat at the table, transfixed by the story of her parents. She looked so young, so vulnerable to him there, her body scrunched up in a way that spoke of caution and trying to restrain herself, from what exactly? he wondered, hope? but her eyes wide and open and listening, shinning green and eager at the thought of the one thing she had longed for her whole life.

A home.

"_How could they choose, to abandoned me in this world, to let me grow up alone?" _She asked suddenly and he could hear the doubt in her words, the despair of abandonment.

He knew it was a good place to start, with her parents, with their love which was timeless and burned so brightly between them, with their shared history, their triumphs and their shared heart. If he needed her to believe, really believe in true love, what was a better story than that of her parents, what better example, with their one shared heart. So as he cooked breakfast, he took a deep breath and started to tell her the story of her parents and their love from the beginning.

"_Once upon a time..."_

**EMMA**

When he finished the story, which he told beautifully, his voice melodic and soothing, Emma sat in silence, her breakfast by then finished. He had focused the tale on Snow and Charming, saying little about the other characters they came across. The story was moving, but it felt just like that to Emma still, a story. A fairy tale. She felt no more connected to the people in his tale that she would to any other characters from a novel that she would read. They felt fictional and distant from her.

She did not feel like that child, given up and later loved and recovered in the story, and the idea of parental love, so foreign to her with all that she lived through in her life failed to warm her heart. They simply were not real to her.

But he was real to her, she could not help but think, and despite everything, she now fully accepted that this man, this handsome man was who he claimed to be her husband from the future. Okay, the Captain Hook thing seemed a little funny to her and she had not quite accepted that part of him, but it was apparent from his interactions with Neal that he had changed from who he was more famously anyways.

Larger things could be explained away, but the chemistry between them was too real to her, and simple things, like the way he cooked her breakfast exactly how she would have wanted it convinced her of his identity firmly. You know, that and the white magic that had blasted out of her own hands and all, at the want of him.

She stared at her hands again, expecting them almost to go off again, like a weapon. But they were nothing but her hands, and the feeling that had corsed through them before the magic lashed out was absent from them.

"_How do you plan to get my magic strong enough to send you back?" _She asked, genuinely curious about how they were to move forward, with the short amount of time she had with him before she lost him to forgetfulness. (And met Henry... .oh my god, Henry, the child she had loved however briefly and made the mistake of letting go of)

She watched as he scratched at the side of his head and looked sheepish and she marveled again at how well... attractive he looked, even when clearly uncomfortable. Was Captain Hook really supposed to look this adorable?...

_"I need you to fall in love with me, but like true love fall in love with me and I am hoping that will be enough to do it, to open the portal back, to well, you... future you."_

_"Well I just can't make myself love someone... sorry buddy, but I don't think you can just make that happen.." _As much as Emma had to admit that she wanted him, that she felt something deep within her for him greater than what could easily be explained, bigger than a spark, more like a connection, that did not suddenly mean that she was capable of love, let alone the level of true love that he had indirectly described to her, had told her about while sharing her mothers story.

She had loved no one but Neal, since Neal and she had learned that lesson hard. Seeing him today had only reopened those wounds and there was no way that Emma was capable in her opinion, even if she wanted to of letting go and trusting someone that much... especially someone who sole mission was to actually leave her behind. Even if it was just for a later version of herself, that version did not feel like her in her own heart, all she felt was the knowledge deep within that at least for a time, he too would abandon her, leave her.

How could she let go and love, really love in such circumstances.

What he asked of her was impossible. Passion, lust, want, they were all easy, but love, true love of all things...Emma just did not think that she could be capable, at least not at the speed he required.

She thought back to the story of her parents, that felt impersonal to her, having never met them, not even knowing what they look like (obviously she could not rely on the Disney cartoon version given that Captain hubby over there looked nothing like the Captain Hook she would have imagined... thank god...")

But he felt real. Her parents story would feel more real to her if she had a face for them, and she wondered at it, and their story.

_"Can you tell me our story, like you did for my parents, from the start?" _She asked tentatively

He smiled at her in a way she felt strangely in her gut and her knees, and if she was honest maybe even in her chest, this bright smile waving a bit as he clearly thought about less than nice bits of their story.

_"We did not have the best of starts... the first time we ever saw each other you were navigating the Enchanted Forest, with your mother, Aurora and Mulan for the first time and I was pulled from under a pile of stinking corpses" _He winced a little at that detail.

"_I did not kill them, but sadly I was working in partnership with the person who did, and my job was to act like a simple blacksmith, gain your trust and essentially spy on you and find out all I could about this world" _

Emma winced a little herself at that, but was also impressed at his candor, even at the bits she could tell by his body language he was uncomfortable with and not proud of.

_"Crap, you spied on us?"_

"_I didn't say I was successful love. It took about one sentence from me only that you figured me out, held a knife to my throat, demanded my true identity and whistled for the ogres to come eat me if I refused to be honest with you..." _

She smiled at that, a little proud of herself, if she was honest about it.

_"Then what?"_

"_I confessed the plan, and did what us pirate types do best, adapted and switched sides to your little party and agreed to help you instead. I meant it too. You were suspicious, for good reason of course, but then, even then I knew there was something special about you and I had honestly no intention of crossing back over at that time..."_

_"At that time...implying that you ultimately did anyways"_

_"Well love, we climbed a beanstalk, you defeated a giant, you got the treasure we needed and all the time I remember feeling, this bond, this well... hope again for something more than just the cold emptiest which comes at a life devoted to revenge. This spark between us. I remember looking at you as you seemed to be helping me up, thinking, maybe even saying how bloody amazing I thought you were, and believing in that instant that maybe, just maybe life held a little light left in it after all..." _He smiled at her a little sadly then and continued...

"_Of course that's when you handcuffed me and abandoned me, almost getting me killed by Cora, who was understandably upset at my betrayal. Not that I cared. The light of hope had been stomped out, and I went back into the darkness... " _

Emma took him in, and saw the sadness there in him, at this part of the story, and felt guilty for it. But she understood without question why she had done it, remembered him telling her words she had uttered at him at once and felt as she must have felt then, attracted beyond reason to someone she knew was supposed to be a villain, and had been clearly working with the wrong side. So she repeated the words that she uttered then, understanding, seeing how it had all begun between them, too hurt people unable to trust, to hope.

"_And that's when I said...I can't take a chance that I am wrong about you.."_


	14. Chapter 14

**FUTURE EMMA (Day Killian disappears)**

As much as Emma loved her mother, being confined with her all day, eight months pregnant was trying at best. Snow, as always maintained this bright, happy optimistic exterior that made heavily pregnant, ankle swollen, tired, and to be honest about it, a bit bored, Emma feel close to tears. Luckily, Snow had left to grab them a late lunch and Emma was enjoying the brief reprieve from all of hers mother's wonderfulness.

She wished she could be on the job with Killian, who always knew how to soothe her mood swings, but she knew how he felt about putting the fetus (and herself right now) in a position in which it could be in danger. And even Emma admitted if an exciting situation presented itself, she would have a hard time resisting running right into the fray. The quite peacefulness was nice in theory, but oh so dull and ordinary.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and Gold appeared, looking sweaty and a little off. He had a kind of wild look in his eyes of panic, maybe, which made no sense, being the dark one and all.

_"Emma Dearie, I need your help. Someone has taken something very valuable of mine, and I need it back". _He paced around the room a little, and Emma was shocked to see that the cool and under control Rumple actually had sweat at his brow. Her internal alarm bells tingled.

She crossed her arms over her (very large) belly and stared him down in silence, motioning for him to continue.

"_I had it in my pocket, and it is a gold box, with emeralds and rubies, like a woman might have to put valuables in. Very elegant and very valuable, I need it back."_

Emma simply raised an eyebrow at this and added "_And what does this box do that has you so obviously panicked Gold? Unleash a Trojan army from Hades... .what? _

_"Nothing dearie that is your concern... Now you owe me a favour for helping you defeat Cruella, and I have come to call it in"_

Emma shock her head with that one. "_I repaid that favour when I saved Belle from Merlin's rage, so nice try Gold. If you want my help, you will have to be honest. What does this box do that has you so worried._

Emma watched as Gold seemed to hesitate and debate what to tell her, and she glared at him in warning. _"Lie to me and there will be no help." _

"_Fine" _Gold finally sneered "_It was a time travel box that I was able to get and activate from the enchanted forest when I went through with the scouting party. Belle found out about it in her research over Merlin last year and was finally able to pinpoint its location. Like the mad hatter hat, or Zelena's time portal, it takes the person to where they are thinking about..."_

"_Oh come on Gold, Really?" _Emma huffed irritated as Rumple of all peoples knew the dangers and pitfalls of time travel. "_I know you have had a hard time with Belle leaving you, but that does not give you the excuse to try to go back and fix all the multiple mistakes you kept making choosing power over love."_

Anger and pregnancy hormones were not a good combination and Emma felt the rage flood through her body. _"Look at the mess with Marian" _"_You know better than to mess with time travel_"

_"Now, now, Mrs. Swan, or should I call you Jones now... you are the one that jumped through time portal to Wonderland...:" _

_"That was an accident, I did not mean to go back in time, and I made it out without messing up the timeline, thanks to Hook." _

_"Well, that's why I am here, whoever has the time portal, could either deliberately or purposely fall back or forward in time, and I don't need to tell you Ms Swan, do I, the seriously consequences it could have if they are not careful, on all of us. I must get it back"_

Emma agreed of course that getting the device back was paramount, but did not want to help him so quickly. She needed to help, if only to make sure that the portal did not end up back in Gold's hands. There was a wildness about him again lately that saddened her. Belle was his true love and would forgive and go back but he needed to let go, really let go over his need to control, his need for power. He had made such strides and lately, since Merlin had been pushed back. The portal was going to have to go into her hands for safe keeping as her gut was telling her she would not approve of whatever Gold had intended to do with it.

She would send him to Killian, and gather David, Snow, Regina and Robin to come up with a plan to find it and get to it first.

_"In case you haven't heard, I have been forced out of the role of saviour pending the birth of my child, so as much as it must be distasteful to you, I recommend that you go down to the Sheriffs office and get Killian, who like it or not is Sheriff right now to help you." _Emma smiled her sweetest smile enjoying the way that Rumple gritted his teeth at the thought of asking Killian for anything, especially help.

"_I went there first dearie, and no one was present. I even called the fine Sheriff's cell (_Rumple said "fine" as sarcastically as possible_) and I am afraid that he has run off and is ignoring his work responsibilities, hardly surprising for a pirate."_

Emma's face scrunched in surprise at that, because that certainly did not sound like Killian. He was a dependable as David lately, and he certainly would not leave his post or not answer his phone with the baby so close and them not together. She pulled out her phone and called him, and the line was dead, disconnected. She called the separate number of the Sheriff's office, and it rang multiple times until David suddenly picked up a little breathless. Before Emma was able to say anything David shot out

"_Emma, have you seen Killian? People have been calling me for help as he has been missing for hours and no one has heard from him. He promised Miss Muffett to investigate her claim of a robber today and failed to show. I ran down to the office and he is not here, and the crazy drunk in the jail cell claims he saw him come in, hours ago, open something and suddenly disappear into thin air."_

Oh Shit, Emma thought looking at Gold who could not hear David's side of the conversation. "_Dad, I will call you back, okay, stay there and man the office until I can get there."_

_"Gold have you seen Killian today?" _Emma asked this but could already feel the dread in the pit of her stomach, acknowledging now, it was not like her adoring husband to have gone so many hours without touching base with her. Killian was not longer one to act out in stupidity, but as much as she hated to admit it, Gold still brought out the worst in him and if he was going to do something dumb, it would definitely involve pilfering an item off Gold.

Gold was looking at her and she could see him thinking, see the realization hit him.

_"That pirate stole it from me at the diner! Emma, I would be practicing up your magic dearie, because when I find him I am going to do my best to crush him down like the ship scum he is, once and for all.."_

Shit. The good news was as dumb as her lovely husband could be when it came to Gold, he would certainly be smart enough and crafty enough to claw a way back, somehow and she knew he would not deliberately harm the timeline. But where the hell would he have been thinking of? When would he have gone? She rubbed the circle necklace at her throat absentmindedly, and suddenly felt a flash of something that felt like a memory, but it was gone again before she could fully form it, before the image could be interpreted or meaningful.

My God, Killian, you need to get back in time for the baby. It was any day now. He would never forgive himself if he missed the birth of the child she knew he already loved so dearly. If he made it back... Emma tried not to let her fear weigh down on her, tried to stay as positive as possible.

She didn't want to even try to think of a life without her husband. Her heart felt ripped apart at even the thought of a week, let alone a lifetime without him.

Killian come back to me, she silently prayed.


	15. Chapter 15

**KILLIAN**

Killian had not actually handed over to Neal, all of his $10,000.00, holding back $1000.00 for himself so that he would not be financially dependant on Emma. He looked at her, the weight of all that had occurred on her shoulders, and decided that the best way to move them forward, to get him forward in time, was to keep it simple, to have some fun. Emma's walls always got higher when she was stressed, and he had always made the most progress with her when she was able to let go and enjoy the small moments.

He navigated them out of the apartment and down to the pier, negotiating a cheap rental of a sail boat that was not much to look at, the sails faded, the paint chipped, but the bones were good. Emma looked a little apprehensive as she climbed aboard, so Killian passed her his flask of rum, smiling when he saw her take a healthy swig.

It took him little time to get the boat out into the water, easily handling the choppy water and windy conditions. He sailed with the same passion he felt for nothing else but her.

She sat there as he worked, her legs crossed and tucked underneigh her, her hair pulled up but still whipping in the wind. He admired the pink of her cheeks in the air, and he could visibly see her begin to relax. He was used to Emma helping, trying to take control over the vessel, and had to remind himself that this version of Emma was not yet the sailor that their many trips out into the water in Storybrooke had made her to be. They had honeymooned on a more expensive rental sailboat in the Caribbean, sailing to blue green waters together, exploring small islands in which the treasure discovered had only been sand, sun and each other. The night fires and sunsets, the world cut off from them, and not a fairy tale villain in sight. (Well other than him, of course)

He had lived a long time, and those ten days in that sailboat with just him, Emma had been without a doubt the best in his life. He planned to go back with his child, or children with her one day, to repeat the journey, teaching his child or children to navigate the stars, to fish for their food, to forage on the islands, ending the nights on some quiet beach with a campfire and stories of their histories, the adventures they had missed. He dreamed of this at night, when he did not simply dream of her.

That honeymoon, and his own sailboat at home, which Emma had purchased for him in the early bits of their relationship only enhanced his life long love of the sea. For now, she was always there with him. That's probably why he choose this activity now, as it was the one place that they were almost always (the early days of Neverland and the Jolly excluded) happy together.

She was with him there now, this earlier version, her eyes closed as he pushed the sailboat faster and faster into the wind, realizing he himself needed the release of stress that a day out in the water could give him.

She opened her eyes suddenly and looked surprised at the speed at which they where travelling, as he was making his way around a pack of other sailboats engaged in some type of contest or race.

Killian thought nothing of the fact he was, with great speed passing and surpassing them, Emma waiving cheerfully at the shocked participants of the small group of racing sailboats. And it was definitely a race, with numbers hung carefully from the sails.

She laughed at that yelling a bit to be heard over the wind

"_Killian, you are crushing and destroying everyone in that race over there_" But her eyes sparkled with pleasure;

Killian looked over at the crowds, who indeed looked a bit put out by such a sad looking sailboat passing them at about a 20% greater speed then any of them could manage. But Killian had picked a good boat, regardless of the state of its physical condition, and of course, Killian could outrun a curse on the water, so a group of part time pleasure boaters was nothing. He called back to Emma

_"I am a hell of a captain love" _

**EMMA**

They spent hours out there in the sea. They had stopped for a bit to eat sandwiches they had purchased on the way, talking about nothing, often simply quietly enjoying each other and the comfort the other's presence provided.

When he had the boat really moving again, Emma simply watched him, his sleeves rolled up, his arms working the ropes of the sail as he raced them around the bay in the water at a speed that she did not think that such a sad little sailboat should be capable of. His love of the sea was apparent in his face, and watching him relax and enjoy the feel of the speed on the water, the sea salt smell in the air made her realize that this process was hard on him too, that he had just been trying to protect her from his own pain and stress that is little time travel adventure in the past must cause him.

She knew he believed that the key to unleashing her magic was their love, and she could not help but be moved a little that this beautiful man, who looked at her with a softness she had never seen from anyone before, who cared for her and felt her moods with a tenderness she would not have believed possible, not only loved this future version of herself, but according to him, true loved her.

She wanted to help him, but she also had to admit she was terrified. Afraid to let herself love, as if she was honest with herself, she had no doubt that she could, would love him. It was just a matter of letting herself go enough to let it happen fully, and afraid of the magic she felt coursing through her veins during that brief moment in her apartment, and was afraid, to have that happen again and to confront what that meant about herself, and where she was from.

How could she let herself love someone who was going to leave her?

She sat back and decided to try to just keep things simple, as he was trying to do. To enjoy the moment. She let herself laugh again at the horrified and impressed racers, as they had made their way back around again and he was whipping by them all again, from a different direction. People where taking photographs and videos of him from afar, and she had to admit she was impressed at the clear skill he showed as he danced them, and the boat across the open waters.

Well, he was supposed to be Captain Hook, for crying out loud, she thought to herself, laughing at that thought a little, still accepting this little part of the story the least, not because she did not believe him, but rather as she just could not see this man, who had dealt with Neal so carefully and kindly, who treated her so lovingly and thoughtfully as a fairy tale villain of all things. A pirate.

They passed the crowds and were farther away on their own again, him slowing down the boat preparing to go into shore and the far quieter docks in which this neglected little boat had been rented, when it happened.

He was standing on the boat, the sun glinting off of him, shinning where it hit the sheriffs badge that he still had pinned to his chest, when suddenly just for a second there was a little quake in the boat she did not think came from the sea. a flicker through the very air, that she could not comprehend, but seemed, well more magical in nature. She stared quickly down at her hands to re-assure herself that it had not come from her, and looked at him again barely catching it. He flashed suddenly, and he looked completely different.

Where his previous outfit had been just a moment before was replaced by what almost looked like an entirely new person. He wore leather pants, a red vest, a heavy leather jacket, significantly more jewelry. His eyes even looked darker, outlined in black, and holy shit, she briefly caught the hook where his hand had been only a moment before. Her heart raced as her brain tried desperately to capture the image and she blinked and just as suddenly it was gone.

_"Bloody hell" _He cursed, and Emma knew she had not imagined it, for whatever unknown reason for a quick flash he had transitioned back into what she could easily see was what he had been, the Captain Hook part of him that even on a sailboat she had been struggling to imagine. A sexy leather clad Captain Hook, she amended to herself, thinking that she certainly did not have to wonder at how she had been attracted to a one handed pirate with what that brief glimpse had shown her. He was handsome now, but in a wholesome way, almost boyish, that was missing parts of the more naughtier looking formal self.

Emma looked at him, back looking exactly as he had appeared in her apartment, but was startled by the fear, the real fear she saw in his eyes at what happened.

He looked at her, panicked, the colour gone from his face, and the warmth from his eyes

_"That should not have happened, if I was getting back easily... something is wrong, I am missing something " _ He looked horrified, then added, clearly panicked

" _Swan, the timeline... I think the timeline is in trouble..."_


	16. Chapter 16

**KILLIAN**

Killian felt sick and abit unsteady for the first time ever at sea, but it was the panic in his heart, not the sway of the boat that was effecting him.

He racked his brain about what he knew about time travel, both from stories and his own personal experience (and maybe, he admitted to himself, however reluctantly that Back to the Future series Emma had shown him once, on movie night).

He had felt himself, however short the transition into his previous self. And it was not the clothes that scared him, but the grief, the despair he had felt within himself during that small span of time. Like a darkness, a blackness washing over him, that he had long set aside and forgotten.

In his adventures with Emma back in the Enchanted Forest after they fell through Zelena's portal, and as far as he knew (with no personal memories left of Emma's adventure into Wonderland) this had not occurred, there had been no disturbance felt in the timeline. He struggled to find an explanation as to what happened, all the while steering the boat back into shore.

The explanation was obvious and glaring. Those two times they had made it back without any major disruptions. Although Marian came along for the ride, that effected the future, but not the timeline.

If Killian was from the future, and the future was at risk of changing this time, more than in the previous trips, that would logically mean that whatever happens to alter the timeline, it does not end this time with Killian the Sheriff and almost father.

It ends with him still being Captain Hook.

Killian felt the absolute heart wrenching pain wash over him. Whether he had Emma and lost her somehow, or Emma never broke the curse, leaving him as Captain Hook with Cora, frozen and waiting... it didn't really matter. What matter was that Killian was in danger of losing more than the exact child he was desperately anticipating. He was in danger of losing himself again. Of never growing or worse of going back.

Killian was not one to cry, not openly, he was still part pirate and all, but his eyes watered and as he returned the boat to the slip he kept his head down, trying to keep it from Emma, trying to shove down his pain and despair deep inside him so it did not leach out and grab at her to. She had already been through enough.

But even with this earlier Emma, even without all the history (the were supposed to share? Good god, would the timeline alter and he be trapped with Cora in purgatory now?) there was still that understanding between them, still the connection. He could feel Emma's concern beside him, and cursed that it had to happen while sailing, that one happy, happy place he always had with her, even in his dreams.

_"I am going to fail you, aren't I?" _She said beside him, and her voice held the same grief he was feeling.

"_No love, of course not, the timeline is in danger, this is true, but we will find a way, we always find a way..." _He tried to smile and re-assure her, but he knew it did not reach his eyes, as it did not reach his own heart. Asking Emma Swan to grow in days what took years might just be too much.

For a moment, and a moment only, he allowed himself to wallow in fear. But just a moment. Then he shook it off him allowing himself to play back through his head all of the impossible situations they had faced down and succeeded it defeating, together. Allowed himself to hear Snow's optimistic voice ringing in his head "_believe in happy endings, anything is possible with love, find a better way, there is always another way.." _

Because the fight was not just for him, he reminded himself. This fight was for Emma. If he is still Captain Hook, what would that mean for Emma? If she didn't break the curse somehow, would she be dead, or alive without the Charmings, Henry as well as him? What about that child, that precious, precious child he would happily give up his own life for, not to exist anymore, because his stupid, stupid _stupid_ mistake of meddling with Rumple, the one person he knew better than to taunt.

He would find a way for them. He could not allow his loved ones to suffer at the hands of his own mistake.

He reached out and grabbed Emma's hand, clasping it between his fingers, letting it comfort him, letting it comfort her, as he focused hard on flooding himself with the only thing he had he knew could make the difference, to ignore the brief blip and move forward in getting them back. He focused on other than love, the most important emotion of all.

And with every ounce of his being, Killian flooded himself with it.

And Killian _HOPED._

**EMMA**

Emma grasped his hand tightly and watched in almost awe as her future husband focused deeply and changed again right in front of her. Not like before, where he literally changed, for however briefly transformed into a sexy pirate, for his outward clothes and appearance remained the same.

No, this time he transformed himself emotionally. She could almost see him pull into himself, shake off the panic and grief he had briefly allowed himself and crush it, crush it with another emotion that washed over him, transforming his body language and expression in a way that made it visable to her not just the feeling she had inside. She struggled for the word to describe the look she felt that he had on his face now, similar to love, but not. It was something her hard life had allowed for so little, and her brain twirled, frustrated as she grasped for it.

_"Hope" _He said suddenly, reaching up and cupping her face in his hands and kissing her softly.

_"Emma we must stay strong and hope." "_ _Every happy ending starts with hope." _

She nodded, understanding and tried, tried to hope, struggled to hope, at first frustrated trying to feel an emotion that she understood and knew so little. She looked into his eyes then, his blue eyes and saw it there deep within, and suddenly just that easily looking at him do it, was able to mirror it, to let the emotion wash over her as well.

Hope.

She was too cynical to think it was enough, but she knew it was a start. She looked into his eyes and realized suddenly, that as scared as she was to open herself up, to risk hurting her heart, she was more afraid of the knowledge of a future in which he was not there waiting for her. She needed him out there waiting for her.

She thought of the simplicity that there day out on the water had been, the simple pleasure of it all, and reached up and kissed him again, this time deeper, but loving and gentle. She tried to pour her feelings out into the kiss, tried to open herself up to him emotionally, and not just reach physically with desire.

He responded, softly, eyes closed, gentle, loving. He made no effort to touch her anywhere else, and she sensed that he wanted to try to keep the passion that flared between them out of this as well.

_"Killian" _Emma whispered softly, guiding his eyes open to look down at her hands. She could feel it, the magic in them, more quiet this time, under control, but present anyways, her hands both gleaming with a white glow as the magic radiated within them. He looked at them, picking each up and kissing them, and Emma felt as if the world was suddenly right again.

She could sense that it was not enough, but she would keep working on it.

So when he began to kiss her again gently, his hands in her hair, him murmuring praise and encouragement at her efforts, his eyes again closed, Emma kissed him back happily.

When she felt the fabric of his clothes shift ever so briefly again leather under her hands, the touch of his hand, replaced with cold metal, she forced herself to relax and hide it from him. He was too lost in her and his own emotion to notice.

He felt her reaction anyways, which she tried to hide with a quick smile and a shrug.

"_Killian, it is getting late, the day is almost done, we should get back and check on the boys progress" " They should be in Nepal by now, and they need to know that the timeline is blipping in case they are the cause of altering it"_

_"Good thinking Swan, I am embarrassed to confess it did not even occur to me that it could be them, they know to be careful, especially August who takes this role very seriously" _He sprung to life, ushering them back to her little yellow bug and back to her apartment, satisfied that her hesitation was caused by this concern and not something else.

Yet as Emma drove home she could still feel the touch of leather on her fingers, scorching them as if it was still there, could still feel that her magic, even with her really genuinely starting to love him not being anywhere near powerful enough. He believed so totally in their love that it never occurred to him what was occurring to Emma right now.

Maybe their love, however special, however powerful was not enough.


	17. Chapter 17

**KILLIAN**

When they made it back to the apartment, a message from the boys from their hotel in Nepal was waiting, and Killian quickly redialed the number they left and filled in August, who answered the phone with what had happened out on the boat, with him transitioning, however briefly into a different version of himself.

August agreed that it was only effecting him because he was the one from the future, and the future this time was at risk of changing and swore, that at least on their end, they would do whatever they could to complete their part of the mission, the memory potion, and help restore him to the future.

They had just managed to get there, and were going out tonight to gather the ingredients they needed but had to travel into a more rural part of the country tomorrow to find the old man that August was aware of had the real magic necessary to complete the spell. If all went well, they would be back the day after tomorrow, one day prior to Henry's first appearance on Emma's birthday.

Two more days until they could be back.

Killian hoped that the timelines would behave that long.

When he got off the phone, Emma got on it, ordering in a Thai dinner for them. They both showered (unfortunately, the dirtier part of Killian's brain mourned- not together) and settled in. When Killian came out of the shower, deliberately showing off his body with nothing but a white towel wrapped around his waist, he did not get the lustful looks he had hoped for, but rather, he found Emma instead holding the jewelled box staring at it with desperate concentration, as if trying to will it to work.

He was impressed to see small sparks of white magic at the tips of her fingers, but they were just that - small. The box did not even registered them ,and it almost appeared to bounce off the box, as if it was not even strong enough for the compartment to bother to absorb. He dressed quickly, his brain stumbling for way to increase the progress. Again, he felt it was just best to be, not to try to plan.

They sat a her table, eating dinner and drinking rum. The conversation was light and shallow at first, and he could see the worry about her eyes around her magic and the blip that had happened earlier today in his appearance.

_"So tell me more about us, about the our story" _She requested,

"_Where did we leave off_?" He asked

_"I can't take a chance that I'm wrong about you?"_

_ So Cora was waiting for me at the bottom of the beanstalk, ready to literally rip my heart out for helping you and betraying her in the process. I convinced her of my use, to give me another chance. I am good at surviving you see, and talked my way back in with her, by helping her capture you and your friends."_

_"Oh you must have been pissed at me!" _Emma exclaimed, and Killian could see that she was entertained, not hurt by the story.

"_You kind of pleaded with me to help you, telling me that I would have done the same thing, which actually, no, I would not have. I might of given you a speech and compared you to a dried up old bean, once magical, full of hope, now dried up and useless, and left you there locked up in a cell..."_

Emma winced at that and Killian continued.

_"I should have realized then, how special you were to me. I was so angry at you for betraying me, which people did to us bad folk all the time... it hurt far deeper than it should have, and yet despite everything, I wanted any wounds you faced to be superficial. When you got out and we went into battle together, we fought against each other. I had no intention of physically hurting you. Unfortunately for me, you didn't quite feel the same, and you knocked me unconscious and best me- again. When I woke, I did so just in time to see Cora try to rip out your heart, and you defeat her with this blast of white magic that just poured from you. "_

_"And I left you behind again..." _

Killian smiled at her, remembering the story. He really should have known then, at that moment when he watched her heart ripped out, and felt such panic at it for a virtual stranger... but he didn't want to acknowledge it with the hurt she had caused on the beanstalk..."

_"When did you first know you loved me?" _She asked him, and it was as if she had been reading his mind

_"As silly as it sounds, I think I always, always loved you right from the beginning... but I certainly did not admit such a thing to myself until you kissed me for the first time in Neverland, and literally knocked the wind out of my lungs with it." _Killian smiled, thinking back to that moment. _"I have been kissed by more than just a woman or two in my time love," _He paused to wiggle his brows at her suggestively _"and I knew then that I was in deep, and that there was no going back for me." _

_"Neverland? Seriously? " Was I as equally effected?"_

_"Your exact words was it was a one time thing, and you told me to go get some firewood or something" _

_"But Neverland was later, before that, I continued on my path of revenge, making my way to where you were in Storybrooke. We barely saw each other, once when I got hit by a car and you chained me to the bed at the hospital, and once in New York, when I stabbed Rumple, Neal's father with dreamshade to try to kill him, and you knocked me unconscious again, locked me into storage, stole my boat with Neal and managed to get back in time to save his life."_

_"You are really making us sound very violent"_

_"All the while, I was in a really bad place. I had spent hundreds of years chasing revenge and it felt empty, so empty. I was tired of it, I was tired of me. I thought that I had killed Rumple, finally you see, and rather than feel happy, sated, I really just felt like I had nothing more to live for. No one that cared for me. I was alone, with no goal to guide or centre me. Revenge was an end, not a beginning."_

_"So you decided to change?" _

**EMMA**

_"You are really making us sound very violent"_

Emma was enjoying the story, which was somewhat easier for her to picture, now she knew, however briefly what he looked like in his pirate outfit. It was easy to see why she would not have been thrilled at an attraction to Captain Hook, of all people. She also noticed and was warmed by the way his eyes shone a little, with pride every time he told her of her besting him. She appeared to have found herself a partner in the future that liked her strong, and did not feel threatened by it, but proud. She knew how special that was, to have someone to prop you up, not pull you down. He believed in her. She could see it in his face, along with love and trust. She had never really felt that before. It warmed her somewhere deep, deep down.

_"All the while, I was in a really bad place. I had spent hundreds of years chasing revenge and it felt empty, so empty. I was tired of it, I was tired of me. I thought that I had killed Rumple, finally you see, and rather than feel happy, sated, I really just felt like I had nothing more to live for. No one that cared for me. I was alone, with no goal to guide or centre me. _Revenge was an end, not a beginning_"_

He looked sad at that, and Emma hated the thought of him like that, alone and abandoned... like she was. She knew, knew deep in her bones what it was like to have no one that cared for her, and she realized that there similar past probably played a role in what drew them together. That and he was smoking hot, that never hurt...

_"So you decided to change?" _

He smiled at her ruefully, and said

_"Well you invited me too. You said that I could join you, and be a part of something"_

_"And just like that you did?" _

He looked a little sheepish at that

_"Well, actually, first I stole back the magic bean, I only pretended to give you and sailed away and left you all to die... then I turned around and changed my mind and decided to help..."_

She laughed at that.

_"Really, and we just took you back?"_

_"You needed my ship and my bean at the time because Henry got kidnapped by the minions of Peter Pan, and I was the way to Neverland, with the experience to get us there..."_

_"Peter Pan is bad?"_

_"He was an evil, evil little boy... and Neal's grandfather..."_

She laughed at that

"_Now you are just making things up... next you will tell me TInkerbell was there too..."_

_"Who do you think got us into Pan's camp..."_

_"And how did we get out of Neverland?"_

_"We trapped the shadow, use magic to fix it to the sails, and flew home on my ship, of course... after you and Regina rescued Henry..."_

_"Of course..." _

She rolled her eyes at him.

She laughed again, enjoying the craziness of the story, told by him with such earnest, when suddenly, Captain Hook was there in front of her again, another ripple being felt, in all his leather pant, red vest, guyliner glory, sucking the humour out of her, and reminding her how real this all really was.

He looked down at himself, glaring unhappily at the hook, and this time he stayed for longer. Rather than brief seconds, the time clicked by and the leather stayed for a good solid 30 seconds, which seemed even longer than that as they both stared in horror at each other.

By the time they thought to reach out to each other, in comfort, the leather was gone again, and Killian tried to lighten the mood with a joke

"_This is the most I have ever changed my clothes in my life_"


	18. Chapter 18

**KILLIAN**

Killian woke the next morning, Emma have wrapped around him as she slept. He woke up blissfully happy for a second, thinking it had all been a dream, until his hand, at her waist confirm the absence of his beloved upcoming child.

She had let him sleep with him last night, instead of the couch, and they had kept it simple, just sharing each other's warmth and comfort. He was used to future Emma burying herself right into him, unafraid of such a thing as cuddles, but this earlier version, with all the scars not healed was far more cautious and tentative with her touches. It was not until fully asleep that she let go, wrapping herself around him in a way that was so familiar to him. His home. HIs love. His everything.

He knew she was falling in love with him, that she was really trying for him, to open herself up despite the madness of the situation. He knew the progress that they had made yesterday out in the sea, doing something together that he loved, that she grew to love with him as well. He wanted to spend today similar, doing something that she enjoyed, that would help relax her, but move them closer together as well.

_"What would you like to do today, if you could do anything that you want?" _He asked her and chuckled as she teased him by gesturing seductively at himself.

_"Other than that... please do not tempt me" _ And he watched her think, looking over at her computer and the work that she had completely neglected since his arrival in her apartment only two nights and three days ago.

_"Seriously love, work?" _He questioned, but knew his Emma would not feel comfortable about shirking on her work responsibilities, hence the whole savoir thing she had going on for her in the future. He could barely keep her away from the station when she was eight months pregnant for crying out loud, and only loud protestations about the safety of the child had stopped that.

_"Well then, let me help" _He said, and she logged on the computer and they worked together, Killian using an older laptop that she had failed to discard, finding her targets to bounty hunt for the day. She found four alone on dating sites (he was a little disgusted at people lack of fidelity quite frankly, which was all little ironic given his single pirate tavern days...) three she made dates for immediately that day, and one later, shortly before Henry was due to arrive on her birthday.

One of them was a woman, and all it took was a quick video chat with Killian to convince her to drive from two hours away and meet him for a lunch in Boston. Emma rolled her eyes at him as Killian wiggled his eyebrows at her.

In total, they were able to find an incredible nine people, with a real chance of getting up to eight of them that day. They had sat bouncing and bickering ideas and strategies off each other, Killian's love of technology having gotten him up to speed fast with computers once the initial distain of them had worn off. Killian did not understand how great the progress was until he saw Emma, literally shaking in excitement of so many bounties to be hunter.

_"My god Killian, nine, nine people found"_

_"I would hope so, love we always did make quite a team, and we still need to go and actually get them"_

She moved around with the room with excitement, her list in hand, grabbing her gun, her cuffs, throwing him his from where they had been left earlier. He lost the sheriffs badge for obvious reason, but kept it in his pocket in case it could help.

She was happy, he saw, with a mission to be had, and he realized that as much as they had enjoyed the peace that had settled over Storybrooke during her pregnancy, the constant flux of villain and dramas in their lives as Sheriffs of a fairy tale town also suited them, and both of their needs for adventure. Emma was chasing down the bad guys and loving it, long before she knew her destiny as saviour.

_"We will play a game love" "For every bad guy we catch I will tell you a story of a villain we faced"_

She nodded her approval at this

"_Who shall we start with?"_

Killian thought about who would be best to begin with and smiled.

_"I will start with the Evil Queen, Regina, who killed thousands and almost destroyed your family... "_

_"And who you care for dearly and co-share Henry with..."_

**EMMA**

The went after the easiest to locate first,the first three, each of them seeing two of them, giving up quickly and easily with a fight, nailing them one by one. The first at his job, the second at his mother's home. The last at his girlfriends, her crying as they took him away. They dropped them off at the police station, Killian waiting in the car, as Emma processed them with the officers that she knew all at once, as fast as possible. If her buddies were impressed at her ability to nab and manage three of them, one without even cuffs, they said nothing more than lift an eyebrow.

And if the first one, while sitting in the car to the next destination thought it was strange to here Killian tell her elaborate stories about an Evil Queen who changed, Peter Pan and the Evil Queen's mother Cora, well, they just grunted and ignored it.

The next two were more difficult. Emma had arranged a lunch date with one of the ones who was found on a dating site at the same time as Killian's, at the same restaurant. Unfortunately neither could help from making eyes at the other, upsetting their dates, and triggering their victims that something was up. Emma's date caught it first, likely because Killian's probably just thought he was a hopeless flirt (which he kinda was) and made a run at it, Killian making the mistake to stand to help Emma with her date pulling out his Sheriffs badge to reassure diners, causing his own to break into flight.

Killian got his down and handcuffed and left her to be guarded with a rather burly looking diner fast (thanks to her lack of mobility in that tight dress and high heels she wore) but it took two alleys, five streets and more air than he though he had in his lungs before Emma and him where able to corner her guy.

They both started laughing as their "dates" actually started flirting in the back seat of the bug as they made their way back to the station.

As Emma drove she learned about the Snow Queen, and felt a little sad about her, with her untimely end. Emma could sympathize with the desperation of wanting a family.

Killian owed her another one since they had nailed two at a time, so after Emma processed two more, this time the officers patting her shoulder and openly praising her- FIVE in one day! by 1pm!- they stopped for lunch and Emma got the story of Rumple as they ate, how he still struggled with his darkness and his love of power, and felt Killian's pain, no matter how he tried to hide it, at their complicated past, and his first love Milah.

Number #6 was downright dangerous.

He took the longest to find, them not getting at him until 3pm, and he had the most serious record, full of significant violent acts and weapon offenses. Likely buoyed up by their early success, neither was quite prepared for it, and the man, covered with tattoos and armed himself, was able to disarm Emma and knock her to the ground, just as he signalled somehow and one became a gang, 7-10 others emerging from a nearby building, clearly this mans "family".

"_Shit" _Emma swore, watching the other's approach, Killian in full action _barely _despite his skills managing to disarm and handcuff the much larger man. But he was no match for the large gain approaching.

Emma drew in her breath, in panic, the love that felt- because holy shit, she did LOVE him, and felt the magic in her hands, using it to send the two of the attackers closer to Killian tumbling away.

Just then, at the same time, Killian transitioned again, in another shift in time and was once more Captain Hook. In this situation, this somehow helped to booster Killian's confidence, and he grinned and went after the next nearer attacker. The gang, horrified by Emma's display of magic and Killian's transition into Hook, ran off down the streets, leaving the target, down on the ground thanks to Killian behind.

They threw the target one into Emma's little yellow bug, and Emma stared at her hands, the magic more powerful this time, and yet somehow she knew, knew deeply that it was not powerful enough.

_"It's okay love" _Killian reassured her, as if reading her thoughts "_When I win your heart, Emma, and I will win it, the magic will be powerful enough then" _

Emma was not brave enough to tell him that somewhere today, in the simple pleasure of working together, through his stories, through everything they had been through in the brief three days that they had known each other she had already relented it to him.

Emma Swan was in love. Deep.

And it wasn't that which terrified her. It was him, beside her in the bug, his eyes kind and patient and understanding, but still dressed this time, for at least five minutes this time, as Captain Hook.

To try to distract and calm her, he began to tell her the story of Hades, and the nightmare he had leashed onto Storybrooke.

And so briefly that she barely saw it, he suddenly became transparent, transitioning for mere seconds to a ghost-like state before solidify back.

Ghost-like.

Transparent.

As in ceasing to exist.


	19. Chapter 19

**NEAL (The middle of nowhere-Nepal)**

The backroom of the tent down a dark dingy alley should have smelt like its surroundings, garbage and decay.

But when he walked into the tent with August, the tent smelled like sunshine, a weirdly out of place and fresh, and something else, that the experience told Neal deed in his bones was an air of true magic.

August had definitely brought them to someone that could help.

He was old and worn looking on the exterior, hunched over and Asian, giving the appearance of extreme age, hands frail and lined with blue veins. But the eyes, oh god- the eyes betrayed him a strange lucid purple, unnatural in their appearance and, well young, alert but also kind.

The appearance was an outfit, a cloak hiding this persons true identity. But the eyes were not his father's eyes at least, so Neal decided to simply not care who this person was, who there true identity was. They were buried in the middle of nowhere for a reason, hiding from the world, likely a different world and Neal knew what it was like to want to get away and did not want to interfere.

_"We need four potions to erase memories.." _Neal started, and August, hearing the word four, nodded towards the old man himself. If the timeline was in danger they needed to be as cautious as possible.

They told the story, as briefly as possible stating only that it involved accidental time travel and that the timeline needed to be save, and Neal provided the ingredients that he had collected based on his knowledge from his father.

_"Time travel is not possible, it breaks the rules of magic" _the old man insisted,

_"Well, apparently in the future they find a way, I know the person and I can tell he is indeed a later version.." _

_"Who, and where did he get such a magic?" _

_"Rumplestilskin" _Neal replied, wincing at the disgust this person had at his own father's name. This also confirmed whoever this person was, they knew him.

He passed over the ingredients and the man worked quietly, until finally, after some bad batches, the potion was complete. Neal paid the man as discussed and the man honoured the agreement, taking the potion himself as they exited the hut.

Neal was not certain he trusted the potion to work, and wanted to make sure, make absolutely certain that it worked prior to moving away from Nepal and making the journey back. He passed August $1,000.00 and his open ended plane ticket back and one of the potions. Getting rid of August at the same time would be an added bonus. As much as Neal blamed himself from walking away from Emma, he also believed that August helped push him to a decision, knowing now that she was pregnant he deeply regretted his cowardice in not stayiing. He knew what it was like to be abandoned by his father. His father made that choice to choose power over him, fearing losing the magic which became more important to him than his own son.

And Neal had feared to. He walked away from Emma over the fear of who she was and how that might lead him back to his father and the past he wanted so desperately to forget. In doing so, he abandoned his own son to grow up without a father.

_""Take the potion August after I leave. I will be waiting for you with at the local's that provided us the transportation here, and will wait 30 minutes. If you remember still, come. If not, you have been here before, you will know where you are and how to make yourself back. I will finish this with Hook and Emma."_

_"I should see this through" _August said, but his eyes wandered, excited at the foreign place and the adventures that awaited him in the mountains there. He did not want to take the long flight back, Neal could see and as always he was easily persuaded to move on.

_"We need to test the potion to make sure it works" _And they agreed, and shook on it, Neal walking off alone as he preferred.

He waited as promised and August did not appear, and Neal, having not trusted the old man to be truthful believed that August would have come if he remember. The potion, at least worked.

He started the long journey back to Hook, to Emma, to the son he did not know he had and wondered about him, what he was like- who he looked like.

And he punished himself with his regret.

**FUTURE EMMA (Late day three)**

Emma had managed to remain (relatively) calm until the third day of nothing from Killian.

Having been successful in getting back far faster both her previous falls into the past, she began to worry that something was not right... if he was even in the past.

She had Gold and Regina and even the blue fairy trying to help her, but they could do nothing, not even get an imagine of him on a mirror without at least having an idea where he had gone.

Where the Hell would he had gone? Nowhere that he would not fight to come back from, she was certain, for she was confident enough in their love, even a past again with Milah or Liam as much as he had loved them would not dissuade him from protecting the time line and get back. But it would injure him to do so, and she hoped for his sake he was somewhere less painful, just struggling a bit more to find a way home to her.

He always came back to her. She had been reminding herself of this and held on to this belief during his disappearance, in the darkness of the night, the worse she felt, with the bed cold and empty beside her. She believed in him and she was able to hold on to her hope and her faith despite the time passing. She comforted herself with the movement and the kicks of the child within her, his child, and the piece of him she still held onto. The evidence of their love.

It was not until on the third day a wave of some sort, a blimp in time, and energy passed through Storybrooke, and briefly for seconds really, but for long enough to truly, deeply terrify her, the baby disappeared and her belly was as flat and as trim as it had been before the pregnancy. Just gone, as ceasing to exist.

No Killian.

No child.

It was back again almost as quick, kicking up a storm within her in protest and in reassurance that it was still there, but Emma knew, knew she had not imagined it. If the baby disappeared, that means that Killian was in trouble, real deep trouble as nothing like this had happened before.

Which also meant he was in the past, as he could not effect the child from the future.

She ran as fast as her belly could get her to Gold, explaining the situation

"_Well dearie, it appears as we are doomed" _He said, unhelpfully

_"Stop it Gold and focus on what can be done."_

_"Time is a tricky thing dearie. Whatever he is doing, is not enough. As long as he follows his current plan, there is nothing to be done. However if he can figure out the key to what he is missing, the moment his mind realizes it, the moment he decides the new course, the timeline will adjust and everything will go back to normal"_

_"Think, really think. We all need to think. If he went into the past and interacted with any of us and was able to erase our memories later, we would not remember him, but we might remember something that seemed out of place, something weird or unexplained"_

Emma thought, and thought hard. Without realizing it at first as a nervous tick, her hand flew to the necklace around her neck, the necklace that had always felt special but had just appeared close to her birthday before Henry arrived. Simple and unexplained. Like someone had cared.

Then it occurred to her, a memory, long forgotten and ignored pushed to the recesses of her mind. Not of Killian, but rather the police officers at the station when she had handed over the man she had nailed only an hour before Henry arrived. Normally they would have been trying to flirt, her having dressed in a red bandage dress and heels. But that night they had been treating her like some type of hero, going on and on how she had not only brought in one of the most dangerous gang members in town but also five other perps in one day and harassing her about the man that had according to the accused been there to help her. She had laughed it off at the time, insisting she worked alone, and thought nothing more of it, with Henry arriving and getting lost into that.

But six guys in one day? -In her memories she did it alone, but how?

Emma knew, just knew suddenly exactly where and with _who _Killian was with. And if he was with her, if they were together they definitely still had a chance. Plus she did not remember it, meaning there must be a chance he could make it back. Emma felt the excited rush over her trying to think of idea of how they might be able to help send a message since they knew where he was, wondering what key piece of the puzzle he was missing, just at the same time something else rushed all over her.

Her water.

From their child.

Coming three weeks early, from the trauma of the time disturbance.

And her labour began.

And the baby kicked as her heart beat in sheer panic.

Oh God, how could she help if she was in labour?


	20. Chapter 20

**EMMA**

Emma figured with the way the transitioning into Hook was occurring with increased frequency, not to mention the newer transparancy that had happened twice more, that they had likely only until mid day tomorrow at best.

Neal had called from the airport taking a red eye back over the night, explaining his success and the new absence of August. He would arrive in the morning.

It was one thing to lose Killian to herself, to the future, and another thing entirely to perhaps lose him completely. She could feel his suffering through his continued determination to be hopeful, both equally at loss to figure out if love was the key to her magic, what they were missing.

Because Emma knew that she could not be this terrified for Killian without true and deep love for him.

"_Its time to break a rule...I am sure I will understand, especially if it gets you back to me..._" And Emma kissed him, wrapping her arms around him in comfort, using her body to demonstrate the depths of her feelings for him.

He did not even try to resist, Emma knowing, feeling his reluctance, no matter his previous rules to give up on what could be there last night together.

They clung together, slowly taking turns divesting the other of their clothing, exploring each other's bodies as if it where the first time, which for Emma at least it was.

There was heat in it, the careful strokes and flicks of tongue, but it was so much more than that, soft, worshiping, careful caresses full of feeling, brimming with love. For Emma it was beautiful, and felt more than just a coming together of their bodies, more like finding home. Finally.

They were careful to be safe, both the first time and the second later, faster and more passionate. Emma awoke sometime in the night to feel him gone, only to be horrified that he had not left the bed but was only translucent again beside her, her fingers going through his body as she tried to reach for him. He solidified again, but stayed permenantly this time as Hook obvious despite his nudity with a hook replacing the hand that just hours ago had held on to her so dear.

Emma left the bed, finding the box, and pulled deep, deep from within her all the emotions both love and fear of loss she felt for the glorious man beside her. Crumbled the last of her walls, fear of losing him far greater then the fear of opening up. Her hands glowed with the magic that she still was not comfortable with, but she focused to channel it pouring it into the jewelled box in her hands. She felt the power inside of her. She focused everything on him, on them on their burgeoning love...

Killian sat up in bed beside her, woken by her movements, murmuring his encouragement, his hand on the small of her back as if this could support her further in some way.

Which his touch did of course, helping her control and centre it. The magic poured out of her hands into the box, being absorbed this time, the jewels seemingly glowing brighter as Killians way home relighted.

Emma was just about to cry with relief when suddenly her magic stopped absorbing, bouncing off harmlessly back into them.

She stared at those jewels and the gleam of magic that bounced off of the gold. It was hard to explain what it looked like, but it reminded Emma of being like a glass of water... Either half empty or half full.

Not complete. Still, still not enough, an ingrediate missing.

Try as she might, despite her completeness of her love for Killian the magic would not absorb further.

"_It is okay love " "You will simply take another path and be fine._.." Emma knew he was trying to comfort her, but it was just stupid really because what was a future now without him?

How could she ever love anyone else, now that she had known him?

Tears shone in his eyes, as he fought the pain and she knew him enough already that he was mourning more the loss it would bring to her, to the child they would never have, then the loss of his own life. That he was secondary in his own mind to her, her and the child.

With no other ideas she simply reached for him, determined to enjoy the little time they had left, because good or bad this man was leaving her tomorrow. There bodies tangled back together, and they simply held each other, basking in the warmth of each other, and Emma knew...could feel both of them struggling to keep the despair at bay.

**Future Emma**

** _  
><em>**Her water had broke at the stress of it all, but her body had not diliated and was unprepared for the birth. Modern medicine was able to slow the labour down and give her body more time to prepare.

Emma was relieved for the extra time but it was only a temporary reprieve. The baby would arrive tomorrow midday with or without its father. She was terrified to give birth again without the man she loved, regardless of the reason, he was not by her side, and to know that if the situation did not improve she would go through the trauma of childbirth again only to lose this child, like she had Henry... But not to adoption and a future, but to simply cease to exist, lost to a changing timeline. My god, to meet this child, what she had left of its father, only to have it disappear finally completely in her arms.

She was not sure she was strong enough to survive the loss of both Killian and the child they both had planned for so excitedly. She closed her eyes and wallowed in the pain shutting out everything around her, trapped helpless in the hospital bed as effectively as if it were a prison.

But when the grief hit her the worst, after the baby blipped away again, suddenly they were there, surrounding her with their love, their support, their comfort.

Her father stroking her hair, his voice calm and reassuring. Her mother, holding her hand, wiping away her tears. Her son, crawling up beside her into the bed, wrapping his arms around her and promising his love.

In the back of the room, Regina, uncomfortable but showing her support with a nod and her very presence.

Emma would not be alone this time as she had with Henry. They were all here, and settling in to stay, to share this with her, for good or bad, to help catch her should Killian fail.

She smiled through her tears as all of them, grateful for the warmth they brought with them back into the room and her heart. This, love was what it was all about. She closed her eyes in determination, hoping, no willing Killian to hear her, to see her and to figure out the piece Emma guessed suddenly he was missing. She had no idea what she was doing but focused her message to him, urging it to find him.

This is the key Killian.

Killian please, look at this...somehow...

Killian come back to me.

**KILLIAN**

He woke up with a start, the sun through the windows telling the lateness of the morning. He had dreamed of her, he realized- not the Emma of today, but his wife from the future. Had it been a dream he wondered? It had seemed sharper, clearer than a dream, the mere moment in time. Emma in labour, at risk of losing their beloved child to the error he was making now, but thankfully, surrounded by her family for support. She was trying to tell him the thing he was missing... LOVE the version in his dream urged. Killian the key is LOVE. But he knew her magic was fuelled by her love and he did not understand. She had opened her mouth in the dream to tell him more when he had been startled awake...by a sound. What had been that sound?

It happened again, and this time more alert Killian had recognized it, the sound of a firm knock on the door.

The last hour or so was here, Killian realized, feeling weak now and again translucent in appearance. He could no longer manage the simple task of opening the door, like a ghost now, half in and half out of this world.

So from the other side Neal did it for him, entering the room too impatient to wait any longer.

The men assessed each other, Neal taking in the little left of Hook, Killian eyeing the potions clutched into his hand and contemplating an alternative.

Killian might not be able to save himself but if the timeline was damaged anyways maybe he could save Neal.

He said simply

"I have an idea"


	21. Chapter 21

**KILLIAN**

He had offered to step aside for Neal once before, having had the best of intentions at that time, but later, forgetting it, in the curse and the own strength of his feeling.

He would like to think since that was after the Neverland kiss it had been to late for Neal and Emma anyways... What he had with her even when going unackowledged by her, being too ... deep to allow for Emma to open up to another.

But now with Henry coming, and two potions to forget him, maybe it was time to try again.

Because Killian was ready to die now if needed... he could handle what came his way, but he could not stand, could not tolerate the thought of doing what everyone else did to Emma, whether forced or not.

He could not bear to leave her alone. He could not stand the thought of abandoning, even if he was helpless otherwise.

"_Your son is coming, Neal_" Killian said, his heart clenching in pain at the thought of his own child, that was likely lost to time. The feel of the baby's strong kicks against his hand, the ultrasound picture hidden in his desk at work to admire frequently when he missed Emma on a long day.

"_Neal, if I can not get back, perhaps you should stay, drink the potion but stay and try to rebuild, break the curse with your son, be a family..."_

And live this time, Killian hoped, but did not say out loud, take care of them for me, rather than be off trying to raise Rumple back from the dead.

Neal stared at him, shifting ackwardly between his feet, having more feelings about seeing Killian like this, in such a bad state, then he wanted to acknowledge.

_"What if me staying is what destroys the timeline in the first place?"_ Neal countered

"Hook,_ buddy, I appreciate your attempt at self sacrifice here but I don't want to be the very thing that does you in_..."

"_No mate, what is causing the break is that I did not get Emmas magic strong enough to fully fill the box. And if I can not go back anyways... maybe you can move forward_..."

"_I can not leave her alone, Neal. I swore to myself that I would never leave her alone..."_

"_Like I did_" Neal said, with sadness not malice

Killian saw her enter then, awake and wondered how long she had been, if she had been listening. She had been crying, he winced to realize and clutched the gold box to her chest, glowing with its incomplete magic in her arms as if holding on to him somehow through it.

She saw how bad his state was, more tears beginning to flow down her face, and he cursed at himself in grief that he was the one causing her such pain. He made no attempt to comfort her, knowing he was no longer even capable of a hug, let alone the simple beauty in holding her hand

"_Let her decide_" Neal said and Killian agreed because it was her right more than any to carve out her new destiny. Emma Swan deserved to make her own choice, not to have it decided for her.

"_Decide what_?" Emma spoke still clutching the box like a life line

"_Whether I should stay when he goes... Whether we should try again Emma with our son coming, to be a family..."_

"_You think you can just replace yourself_?" She yelled at Killian switching her grief into anger. " _That I could move on now and simply forget you?"_

Killian raised his ghostly eyebrow at that gesturing to the potion clutched in Neal's hands.

"_Yes love, you will forget me and you have a chance to move on... and not be alone"_

**EMMA**

He was almost gone now and the idoitic man was spending their last minutes together trying to patch her together with Neal, not realizing perhaps or being blind to the fact that Neal broke her into too many pieces, and with him as a result she would never be truly whole again with him. That and her heart now irrevocably belonged elsewhere, whether she remembered it later or not.

"_Yes love, you will forget me and you have a chance to move on... and not be alone"_ He said and Emma would have punched him for the insult that she could just move on from him, even with the benefit of forgetting, that she would be willing to do such a thing with the depths of her new love for him.

"_I love you_" She said to him, words she had already said through out the night. She suddenly regretted their carefulness. He would leave her alone, for her it was him or nothing.

She turned to Neal, standing there so ackwardly, uncomfortable in their pain with his own hope. She felt the time slipping away from them and she knew it was time to set fear aside and be as truthful as possible.

"_And I love you_" She said to Neal. " _I will always love you. But it is a residual love, borne now more of memories. The type of love to leave behind, like most do with first love, and can not compare to the true love I feel for Killian_."

"_I am sorry, so sorry Emma_" Neal said, his eyes showing his sincerity. " _I left out of cowardice, the very emotion that caused my own father to seek out power and caused his deepest demons."_

_" I do love you Emma, but I let the fear of you being from that world, fear of my identity being revealed guide me_"

Emma smiled sadly at him, feeling at least they could be friends and let old wounds heal. She looked at Killian, fading away almost gone, gesturing at her to continue the conversation with Neal, trying in his last moments desperately to give her a source of support, to keep her from being alone.

"_I forgive you Neal, and I want to be friends In our hearts_.." And she surprised herself a little by meaning it. She may never want to be in a relationship with him again, but with a son together and their genuine love for each other, even if hers was no longer and would never be again romantic love, they could still set aside the past and be something new, and equally precious...family.

"_Neal, I do not want you as a lover... But maybe we could be part of each others family_?"

Killian made a weird sound, and Emma eyes flew to him believing it to be possibly his last seconds, the tears still raining down her face in her despair.

She looked just in time for her to see something light up those blue eyes of his, felt like she could see the idea hit him. Watch as something turned on inside his head.

And she could see it in truth, because whatever he just thought was the key, and once realized, he was instantly the sheriff version of himself, solid, sure, his eyes dancing with his excitement and well... Joy.

He raised an eyebrow at her grinning like a fool. His sudden relief hit her in waves and she could do nothing but smile back at him stupidly, not understanding anything yet except suddenly, magically everything just righted itself.

"_Looks like you are stuck with me in the future after all love..." _

"_I figured out what I was missing love, and now all I have to do is find a way to show you, to help you see it to."_


	22. Chapter 22

**KILLIAN**

As Emma forgave Neal and invited him into her family, Killian watched from his part ghostlike state across the room, feeling death lapping at him, calling, after all these years. But suddenly, as she gave Neal her love, her forgiveness, making him part of her family, her hands began to glow with her magic. She was holding the box and some of the magic absorbed in, taking it from the 50-60% full it had been to 60-70%.

And Killian realized in his own conceit about the strength of their love what he had been missing.

The part her family played in her magic as well.

It was more than just him and Emma, for they were part of something larger for her, for both of them. They were part of a family and he needed to show her that love as well to complete her and complete her magic.

She needed Henry and her parents as well. If he was honest about it, they were important to him too. They were the missing key.

He remembered suddenly how Emma had told him of her time with past!Hook in Wonderland, how he had not given in and agreed to let her go until he had seen, through a magic window she had opened at the white rabbits home the future that was waiting for him. That stories and words where never quite the same thing as seeing it yourself...

He knew this Emma would not have the skill, containing only raw power to open a mirror to allow her to view her future self, that this was not possible. But it did not matter, now that he knew what he was missing he solidified anyways, turning back into his modern version of himself, and he could sense that the timeline had righted itself now that he finally remembered the importance of family.

Of David, and Snow, of Henry and Regina. And yes, Neal.

That was what Emma from the future was trying to tell him in the dream, the image she sent was her, in despair, without him but stronger, supported, as she had been surrounded by the love and support of her family.

Of course, he could not help bragging to himself in his mind, their love had been the one to fill 50-60% of it...

He gestured down at Emma to look at her hands, Emma first had just been standing there mirroring him happily, without understanding what had changed, simply relieved at the knowledge that something had righted itself... time.

She looked down at her hands, and the box glowing stronger now that with the addition of her love for Neal.

"_I don't understand_" She said simply, and Killian realized that of course she didn't, as this Emma did not understand the love of a mother, or father or son having not had the joy of experiencing it yet. The love of a friend, in Regina. The precious child they were expecting, that was going to be there again now.

She could not have understood, and Killian, in his own seemingless vast love for her had forgotten the importance of the others, even for himself. He knew a mothers love himself in Snow, found a new brother in David, a son in Henry. They were dear to him, and likely even more so for Emma.

"_Family, love, family. Your magic needs the love of your family."_

**EMMA**

She looked down at the box, glowing brighter with more magic, confused but estactic at the knowledge that suddenly something had shifted in the way he was thinking and everything wondrously was going to be okay.

"_I don't understand_" she said simply, but still stared at him, smiling bright matching his own joy, unconcerned about what she was missing. As long as he was whole again.

" _Family, love, family. Your magic needs the love of your family_." He said, looking almost sheepish, she felt, that he had missed this piece in it all.

She looked at Neal, remembering his presence and he stared ackwardly around the room, understanding the concept of family little more than this Emma did. Family to them was abandonment and loss. Neal mumbled something about making coffee in the kitchen staggering out of the room, leaving them to their privacy.

If she could set aside what Neal had done and accept him back into her heart, if only as family, could she not do the same for the child she gave up and the parents, according to Killians story, gave her up to save a kingdom, to be heros?

She felt that she might, if she could have met them, if they could have been real to her, felt a part of her some way, more than just stories told to her. They of course sounded and felt about as real as a childs favorite fairy tale.

But there was no way to meet them, no time. No way to send them back or go meet them, frozen by a curse currently.

"_They are not real enough for me to forgive, to accept, to love_." she half whispered in thought "_They are a beautiful idea, but removed from me and my reality here. Faceless_."

Emma worried at what was to be done until she looked up at Kilian, grinning at her like a fool.

"_Well love, in the future other than the almost perfection you see before you, I have this one trait that drives you crazy. Once I got the hand of it, I admit I was leery of it at first love, I ummm embraced my IPhone, complete with the need to videotape our best times together_" He pulled out his long forgotten IPhone and handed it to her.

"_You hate being recorded and are always yelling at me to stop it_"

" _I rarely listen and there are videos there, of us, of your family_."

Emma stared down at the phone, password protected. She had secretly on the first day tried Swan and Emma, hoping to open it without success, but suddenly did not even need to ask the password.

She typed L.O.V.E. and the phone opened up to life, in its own way about to be Emma's window into the future.


	23. Chapter 23

**EMMA**

Emma went straight to the video section of the Iphone, her hands shaking in anticipation. She just hit the first one, holding her breath as she watched what danced on to the screen before her.

**VIDEO** #1

"_Bloody hell, how do you work this blasted thing_" came Killian voice as the picture spanned around, catching Emma's laughing face.

"_No video's Hook, I mean it"_ she warned, coming onto the screen and waiving her finger at him in warning. They were clearly in some kind of station, Killian hidden from view by virtue of operating the camera on the phone. Another person, a handsome blond man entered the screen. He came up to Emma on the video, right in front of Killian and greeted her with a coffee and a warm kiss on the forehead. He clearly was another sheriff, gun holstered to his hip and badge pinned to his chest.

He laughed at Killian "_I thought you hated that talking phone" _to which from behind the phone came the audible reply _"I am just starting to get the bloody hand of it mate" "You can record moving pictures in this thing"._

The phone rang on the desk and the blond man picked it up, talking quietly in it for a few moments, while Killian clearly was trying to get the hang of videotaping, zooming in and out of the future version of herself. That Emma stood there, learning against the desk, confident, happy, smiling despite her running her finger across her throat at a mock threat at the video that continued to run.

_"You are not going to believe it!" _The blond man exclaimed, hanging up the phone in excitement

"_Try me dad" _That Emma said, drolly, rolling her eyes.

_"We just got a report of a large amount of puppies being hidden away by that evil woman we have been chasing"_

_"Please do not tell me that they are Dalmations" __"Yes, apparently there is..." _he started, only to be cut off again by Emma looking right into the video and saying

_"101 Dalmatians? Seriously?"_

_"No only about 10" " Why do you think 101?, how strange?"_

"_Yes, because that extra 91 puppies is what pushes this over the edge to ridiculous"_ She paused, collecting her coat and things "_Lets go get Cruella, at least I know who the woman is now_"

"Who?", Killian asked, and Emma turned to him and said "_Come on puppy, put down that phone, we have another villain to catch_"

The video ended there and this Emma, the Emma of now turned to Killian, her eyes shinning and said, "_That was my father, Prince Charming?'_

_"Yes love, but there are better videos than that, keep going"_

**VIDEO #2**

The video caught Emma sleeping on the bed, the sun streaming in from the window. She was dressed partially in a man's T-shirt and her underwear, and she looked so peaceful there in her sleep, as if without a care in the world, blankets a crumbled mess at her feet. Suddenly though, she woke, stretching and without opening an eye grumbled

_"There better not be a camera rolling when I open my eyes Killian"_

_"Hmm, what are you going to do to me, love if there is?"_

_"I will get dressed, where if the video is off, I might just be persuaded to do the opposite" _She opened her eyes, batting them flirtatiously.

And with that, the image ended abruptly, leaving the viewer to their imagination.

**VIDEO #3**

"_Remember to look surprised" _Killian warned, the video focusing in on Emma, about to open a door into some type of restaurant.

_"This is silly_" She complained, and then "_Can you stop that please, its bad enough"_

_"I promised Snow I would tape your reaction, play along for your parents love, they have never got to do this for you before." _Emma sighed and rolled her eyes at the camera, but was also smiling a little, happy as she pushed through the door to be greeted by a loud and boisterous "_surprise, Happy Birthday_" and the diner on the video sprang to life with a room full of cheerful, celebratory faces. There was a birthday cake in the corner, and streamers, cheesy birthday decorations. She recognized her father again in the video, holding a baby as a woman with dark hair went running into Emma's arms for a hug. "_Happy birthday Emma_" She said, but it was the way they interacted, the warmth between the women that was obvious despite the shakiness of the video. The woman held up a birthday tiara hopefully, and Emma on the screen said _"Not in a million years, Mom.." _and everyone laughed at Snow's mock disappointment.

_"Killian, she is not surprised! Did you ruin it and tell her?" _Snow admonished

_"After the incident with Gold mom, he had no choice, as he knows I will rip out his heart myself if he keeps a secret from me again" _The tone was playful and several people chuckled, Killian saying from behind the camera "_Seems a bit extreme love, when its in your hands anyways" _And the camera caught Emma rolling her eyes at him, but they also lit up first at the truthfulness of the words.

Emma watched the video, the interactions between her parents, the- what was it exactly? Pride, and love on the faces of the people that surrounded her.

Then suddenly came "_Mom_" and a boy rushed into her arms, with brown hair, and Neal's eyes. He held up a gift for her excitedly, and Emma on the video swung her arm around him casually, ruffling his hair, her eyes lighting up as she greeted him with "_hey kid, did you know about this_?" and he confessed his role in assisting Snow with her less than tasteful decorations.

She watched as she interacted with her parents, with Henry. There were faces, so many faces. All smiling, all there for her. All greeting her with warmth and affection. She the video watched as the future her mingled from one guest to the other, Killian beside her narrating each person's fairy tale identity as she watched. So many people, so much love.

And they all broke out into a birthday song. Killian holding the phone grumbled something about it being bloody horrible and it was going to break his talking phone, and the video ended there, with Emma blowing out her birthday candles, surrounded with a town singing... for her.

Family. A whole loud off key diner full of family.

**VIDEO #4**

_**"**Ha ha_**" **Emma's voice on the video rang out, centering in on Killian, clearly the one operating the camera now.

_"The tables are turned, how do you like it?" _Emma taunted but Killian just raised an eyebrow and smiled into the camera

"_Its about time something captured my beauty Swan" _He said grinning, preening for the camera, clearly not bothered by the video. The video spanned to the other people in the video, A woman with dark hair and a good looking man beside her, his arm slung over her shoulders.

"_Seriously Emma, the man makes me want to vomit" _said the other woman "_And I am sure we can both agree having murdered entire villages, I have a pretty strong stomach". _

_"Come on Regina, you two are hardly ones to talk" _Emma stated gesturing at the two of them, clearly also in love.

_"I don't even know why I agreed to do this" _Regina grumbled, but the man beside her laughed and said to the camera "_These past villains, both so full of it"_

_"We are friends now, remember, and friends double date" _

_"We might be friends Emma, but that does not mean I have to cosy up to pirate Pete here" _But her voice had no malice in it, and the camera caught her smiling into her beer.

_"I need a another drink" _Killian complained, but he was smiling, and they continued to sass each other for a moment, clearly truly friends, despite the protestations otherwise, until Regina, with a flick of her wrist turned the camera to black.

Friends. Such a simple thing but so foreign to the Emma that watched the video, but special.

**VIDEO #5**

It was her wedding day. She looked beautiful in the video, as she turned towards it, surrounded by her mother, crying as she fluffed and patted the dress.

_"Henry, what are you doing with that phone?" _Emma lectured "_Killian knows he is not supposed to see me before the wedding", so don't you dare give it back to him before the vows, he is cheating"_

_"He is a pirate, what do you expect" _Snow laughed from beside her.

_"Sorry mom, but we made a deal, he couldn't wait" _Henry laughed, capturing her with the camera. And it caught the pure joy on her face, with her mother and son helping her prepare for what was to become a new step in her life.

_"Who are you, Gold now?" _Emma complained, and Henry passed her the note that his new step-father to be had sent with it. The video did not capture what it said, but Emma's eyes filled as she read it, happy tears, clearly moved at whatever he had chosen to sneak to her on the last moments before promising themselves to each other. She rolled her eyes too, at whatever was at the end, but they were bright eyes, as she blinked back the tears. Snow was desperately trying to read it over her shoulder and actually grunted in frustrated when Emma pocketed it away on her.

"_Fine, fine" _Emma said laughing into the camera _"Go give the silly man his moving pictures of me, and tell him if he tries to wreck my eye makeup again, I will use my magic to destroy his own..." _

The last image on the camera captured by Henry, was Emma and Snow, heads bent together and laughing, getting ready for the day.

**_VIDEO #6_**

"_Do not mess with a pregnant lady_" Emma's voice warned before her face even came onto the screen.

_"I am serious Killian, I will crush that stupid phone" _She growled. They were in a doctors office, and Emma was only slightly showing. A technician worked on Emma, performing an ultrasound, and turned to smile at the couple

"_Do you want to know what gender the baby is?" t_he technician asked, and Emma gestured no, "_We agreed to be surprised"_

_"No, you agreed to be surprised, tell me" _ Killian said and you could hear the grin from behind the camera "_I can keep a secret from her_"

"_Ha ha pirate, no way. We are waiting, and turn that thing off"_

_"You will thank me for these moving pictures one day love" _He smiled at her "_Our memories are such fragile things in this town" _he laughed.

The camera focused on the image on the screen, and the Emma watching the video almost felt she could feel Killian struggling to figure out the strange blurring image, to interpret it into knowing the gender of his upcoming child. Emma watched that image as well, moved by it, and the difference it was this time, Killian beside her, with it through her all, hand she felt she could feel that child on that screen, it was real to her suddenly, another child and another chance not to just repair it as she seemed to have been able to do with Henry, but to get it right this time from the beginning.

There was more, there were so many more, and she did wonder suddenly how Killian had escaped an act of violence against him by her if he actually insisted on videotaping her with some frequency. He stopped the video from playing more, taking it away from her gently and replacing it with the box.

_"Focus love, think of your friends and family, waiting for you. You have magic Swan, you can do it"_

And as Emma thought of the family she has seen that awaited her from the screen, adding them to Killian's stories, they all at last became real, tangent to her. She had parents that loved her. They were out there waiting. A son. Friends. An entire community of people there for her. A baby on the way, another child.

And Killian. Always Killian, there with her by her side, sharing it all with her, supportive and loving.

The magic flowed from her hands and she thought about the wonders that awaited. As she cried her tears of joy. So much, so much...

And finally, finally at last, the gold box glimmered in her hands with completeness. Magic. It was time to send him back to herself in the future, where their almost born child and a town full of family was waiting.


	24. Chapter 24

**KILLIAN**

She was bloody amazing, he thought to himself, standing there, ready to let him go, having saved him again, the box in his hands glowing with her love, her magic.

Tears, hot, fat and slow crept down her face, but her mouth and eyes were smiling, happy for him that he was going to make it back after all. That the future was waiting for both of them.

He really felt their love was one of timelessness. He loved her, no matter where she was in her life, just as she instantly brought out his lightness even in his darker days.

She was far more like his Emma of the future now, then what she had been merely days ago. He thought how he would miss her, which was silly of course as she was waiting for him ahead.

Neal re-entered the room at last, coffee in hand, nodding at the box, acknowledging that it was ready for him to leave. Killian felt sad for him suddenly, for what he faced in the future, the sacrifices he would make for the father that did not deserve him, and of course to warn the rest of them.

He wished that he could save him, but he knew he could not.

He approached Neal awkwardly for another hug, and Neal accepted it, even if was not quite reciprocated.

"_You should stay a little, talk, Henry is not coming until tomorrow." "The potion can wait a day." _Killian stated, not wanting Emma alone again, if even for a day, not wanting them to squander the chance for forgiveness and to heal their wounds, even if they would lose the knowledge anyways to forgetfulness.

Neal looked at Emma hopefully, and Emma stared at Killian suddenly, her eyes narrowing, then widening. He watched her eyes go to the IPhone and he could almost feel her thinking, almost see the moment in her eyes she realized what, or rather who had not been present with them in the future. She looked right at him then for confirmation, and without having to exchange any words at all that Neal could understand, he simply tilted his head to the side and nodded sadly.

She sighed deeply, and Killian watched her close her eyes in real pain. Neal, not quite comfortable with watching their interactions closely missed it all, staring instead at his boots on the floor.

"_Stay Neal, and we will drink rum together, and celebrate the child I am about to have in the future, and the child we had together, who is coming only tomorrow" _Emma said, plastering on a fake smile for him, stiffening her spine and Killian was proud of her and the strength she had within her to cope. To savour the little time that was left with him. To use it to forgive, even if they both would forget.

Neal nodded his consent, and Emma turned back to Killian and said

"_I would say that I will never forget you...but..." _she shrugged gestering to the potion still in Neal's hands. She let out a little laugh, but it did not quite reach her eyes.

He watched her struggle for words until, finally

_"I don't know how to say goodbye_"

He walked up to her, holding her hand between his own, kissing her softly on the mouth.

_"Then don't love" " Say instead Until we met again"_

He backed away, taking a deep breath and opening the box once he was a safe distance away.

_"I love you" _He said with all the sincerity he felt. _"Any time, any place any version of you." "We all are simply in the future waiting for you." _

And this time, Emma's smile reached her eyes, her moist but happy eyes.

As he was sucked into the box her heard, faintly, almost muffled somehow her repeat it.

"_Until we met again."_

**EMMA**

Watching him go was hard, but there was comfort in knowing he was waiting for her in the future. She turned to Neal beside her, him clearly uncomfortable with what he had seen with her and Killian, and uncomfortable with them now left alone, his absence leaving a hole in the room where he had been.

_"You and Captain Hook, Em, really?" _He said to break the ice, and she laughed, equally a little shocked that a pirate turned out to be her own version of Prince Charming.

Her laugh sober though as she thought about Neal, his absence in the videos from the future, despite Killian saying he would met Henry again one day. She saw it in his eyes, when he looked at Neal, the sadness that did not make sense. Saw it in the way he continued to hug Neal against Neal's comfort level. And in the end, how he had looked at Neal, one last time... as if he at least was not there in the future waiting.

He should have been jealous of Neal, instead he embraced him. Emma could easily figure out that it was more than the strength of their love that had eliminated Neal as a romantic threat.

She grabbed the glasses and the rum as promised, and decided to do as she knew Killian had wanted, spend the last bit of time with Neal that she could before they both had to give in to forgetfulness.

The talked about the past, and their lives since. She let him talk about his regret, the fear that had allowed for him to leave her. She talked about the pain he had caused her, but they did not injure each other with their words, their honestly instead only further helped them heal and pathed the way to forgiveness and acceptance of each other.

As they drank they became more open, and he started telling her his stories of his youth, and even of Hook, so different to the Killian she had met now by her own admission.

"_You bring out the lightness in him, and he brings out the strength in you" _Neal admitted to her, and Emma agreed, smiling at him for not trying to discredit or put down the relationship, with his own disappointment.

They talked about Henry, who they both knew so little, guessing at which features they thought he would have of the other.

The talked in to the night, until they both passed out head to feet in the bed, like school children.

It was worth it, for both of them, even if only to be lost with the feebleness of memory. To know that whether they remembered or not they could move forward, in their own version of family and love and forgive each other. To help each other heal.

They drank coffee together in the morning, and Emma could not help but let her mind wander off to Killian, out there in the future, wondering exactly how long until they met, knowing he was not coming until she broke the first curse. She had her memory potion from Neal, and although it saddened her to make this progress with Neal, only to lose all memory of it, she was still glad of it, hoping that when she met Killian for the first time, maybe she would be a little less afraid, a little more healed.

And she was not sad that she would soon forget Killian. She knew he was waiting and she certainly wanted to be able to rebuild her relationship with her son and parents first, before he showed up with earnest and distracted her. Memories would cause her to mourn him. She already was hurting a bit for him and he had been gone less than a day.

Neal and her agreed to take the potion separately, for the obvious reason they could not risk seeing each other and disrupting the timeline once the potion was taken. Emma knew she had that date tonight, with new prey for work, and she wanted to have something to distract her if she was suddenly confused after the potion was taken.

Last time, they had no goodbye at all, only the harshness of abandonment and prison. This time, they hugged, clasping each others hands and smiling, promising each other a son that was waiting And a friend in each other.

As soon as Neal was gone, Emma leaned against the wall and savoured inside her the one last moment to think of Killian, his eyes, his voice, his hands, his mouth, his big heart and their true deep love. To remember her birthday in the video, surrounded by loved ones, a room full of friends and family. A home at last.

A home.

Today was her 28th birthday.

And Henry was coming.

She would not be alone on this birthday either. It was all about to begin for her. And she liked that the idea of _beginning._

She blew him a kiss, out there somewhere and she drank the potion.

Emma blinked a few times, looking around in confusion.

The apartment somehow seemed emptier today. As she went through her day, trying to ignore the strange emptiness inside, dressing in a red bandage dress to catch a perp on a "date" and later coming home on her birthday alone, no messages, no one to wish her a happy birthday, it almost seemed to taunt her. She was used to being alone, but it felt harsher today. Her apartment mocked glasses in the sink, as someone had been there sharing one with her, a rumple in the other side of her bed, that made it look like there had been two. A general feeling that something, suddenly important was missing.

She was so used to being alone, having spent the bulk of her life that way, the sudden deep crushing, longing for something different surprised her. As she blew out the candle on her sad single cupcake she thought to herself desperately that she did not want to be alone anymore.

And suddenly she wasn't.

There was a knock on the door, and she did not realize it anymore, but her future began.

**EMMA (STORYBROOKE)**

The interference with the timeline had been occurring almost like labour, the disappearances coming closer together, for longer each time, like the contractions Emma was feeling right now. So when the child failed to disappear at the next schedule time, Emma felt herself relax into the labour, understanding what it meant.

Killian had figure it out and was on his way home to her. She cried with both relief and the pain of labour.

She was racked with pain, in full labour now, her father holding her hand tightly looking uncomfortably off to the side so as not to see any inappropriate bits, her mother on the other side, stroking her hair.

She appreciated their presence and their support, but she wanted Killian to share this moment with her, to welcome their child into the world with none of the loss or impending threat of her own birth, of Henry's and even baby Neal's.

She could feel the difference the simple act of relaxing now and letting go of her stress had caused within her body. The baby started progressing faster.

But the baby would be safe now.

But he could not miss this of all things...

Run Killian run.

**KILLIAN**

The sheriff's station was empty when Killian arrived back on the same spot he had left, mere days ago.

The phone was ringing, the lights were on, and no one was there manning it, which concerned Killian as either David or even Emma herself should have been there manning the place. Where were they? Now that his phone worked again he quickly tried both of them, but without an answer.

He remembered the vision of Emma in labour, remembered how real it felt, when it had woken him earlier from his dream. A few hours had passed since then, precious hours, which would put his precariously close to having missed it.

Time was such a beast how it determinedly marched on, even without you.

And Killian began to run.


	25. Chapter 25

**Thank you all for reading. I do have an Epiloge coming as well, which introduces what ( may) be my next story when I finish "the Very Thought of You" which has only three chapters left. I really appreciate the audience and I can't wait until this show is back. **

**NEAL**

When he left Emma's that morning, Neal did not take the potion, rather he walked the streets, lost in his own thought.

He was glad he had the time with Emma at the end, to reconnect, to be forgiven, to explain, but still sad that he had not been brave enough to make a different choice, to put them first.

He knew there would be no future for them, romantically, and was surprised a little how he was almost, even if not quite okay with that. Although it was a little shock that she would end up with the same person that took his mother away from him as well, and Neal knew it would be easy to be unkind about that coincidence, he also realized that it was, in fact just that. Coincidence. Or maybe fate. It certainly was not malicious or directed intentionally at him in anyway and he had his chance and squandered it, just like his father had also made choices that had pushed his mother away.

He could see that they were like two broken pieces of a puzzle, fitting together and somehow smoothing each others edges. He could see that he helped build her up in a way Neal never had, and how she brought out the very best in him as well.

Yes, he could be happy for them, and seeing them together made him feel like he could move on.

No, it was not Emma that held him here, pacing the streets, potion in hand, undevoured. It was not Emma that caused the pit of despair and regret that pierced his belly like a sword. He and Emma had help heal that together, but Emma could do nothing to ease what he felt for the person he felt he could not move on from, not get past.

His son, Henry.

He needed to know more, as ironic as that was, before he forgot. He was not going to give up any opportunity however fleeting to be even a small part of his child's life.

He stayed until the night, and he waited for him.

He knew him on sight, a small boy, alone, entering Emma's apartment, his walk determined. His spine stiff with determination. Brave. He thought of how the child had made it all the way here by his own, thrilled that this child had courage, probably from Emma and a resourcefulness from both of them to accomplish such a task.

He was so proud of this child that held a piece of him too. He was so very glad for this gift, this small life.

He followed as subtlety as he could, memorizing the features, comparing them to his own, to Emma's, searching the little face for character. From the farthest corner, he saw him knock on her door, and watched her let him in.

He wished he could have interacted, but knew that he could not, and tried to allow himself to be satisfied with the knowledge, he was waiting. He was the good that had come from the pain. That tis child made it all worth it.

He allowed himself the journey home to savour the memories of the child, to picture them together, Henry's face smiling.

He did not even think much on Emma. As he drank his potion the last thought on his mind was that of his child, only his child. His life was worth it all because he now existed, his boy. He could find tomorrow sated that this child had helped give his life meaning, leaving a good legacy behind.

He was shocked at the raw love he felt for this child he had not yet even to meet,

He let the tears run over his face, unguarded, in private.

"_Until we met again_" he whispered after his son, knowing that he could not hear, and then, with feeling. "_I love you."_

Those warm eyes, and precious face was the last image in his head as he drank the potion and surrendered to forgetfulness.

Yet when he blinked confused, he felt strangely like his heart was fuller.

**KILLIAN**

Killian ran to the hospital so fast, so furiously, he felt his lungs on fire and his sides cramp up. He ignored it, pushing it all away. Pushing past the pain, running with everything he had.

He was too winded to ask for where she was when he flew through doors to the hospital, but also did not need to. The hospital seemed to be on alert for him, waiting for him, staff, and friends and even Regina and Henry in the waiting area all pointing the way, urging him forward. Grinning in joy at the sight of him. Happy, excited faces welcoming him as he whizzed past at full speed.

He was grabbed outside of the delivery room, the nurse quickly suiting him up and sanitizing him. At the commotion, David, still nervous with what had happened to him with Zelena, came flying out, took one look at him, and "_thank god, hurry"_ but then wasted precious seconds in a big, warm embrace, David's eyes moist at the sight of him.

He burst into the room just as another big large contraction occurred, and Victor got out of the way, motioning with just enough instruction that Killian was able just not to have made it in time, but rather, be the first person to touch and welcome his child, their child into the world. He had his hands on their baby as it made its grand entrance into the world, surrounded as he hoped it will always, always be, with a room full of family and deep, true love.

Emma exhausted from the labour, the stress made some noises that were part laugh, part sob, and Killian, barely, through his heavy breathing as he was still out of breath, said simply

_"Its a girl"_

and after a few more pants

"_I am sorry I am late love"_

'He wrapped the child up gingerly, shocked at the dark brown hair, like his where he had been certain it would be blond, the bright blues eyes staring up at him where he had been sure there would be green. He passed her over to Emma, moving into Snow's place at her side, Snow vacating it happily to reunite the small family.

"_Killian, she looks just like you" _Emma exclaimed, stating the obvious, to which Killian could not help replying

"_What a shockingly beautiful baby Swan, well done" _to which she rolled her eyes, but smiled with them as well, so very very glad to see him. He kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms around her as much as he could. He showered her with little kisses, whispering his words of love into her ear. Snow and David tried to sneak out gracefully to give them their privacy, Emma looking up and catching them and saying

"_Bring Regina and Henry in for a moment first,"_

And like that they were together, as they should be. Not just Killian and Emma, despite their true love for each other, but something better, something even more. Henry. Snow. David. Regina, and even baby Neal (Killian suddenly moved finally by the choice of name) all crowding it together to admire and celebrate the darling girl, Emma held tightly in her arms, this time letting go, not to be sent off to strangers, but rather for the baby to be passed around and held by a room full of people who would love her.

This child would never know abandonment. This child would never feel alone.

The child would however know what this moment looked liked itself in the future, as Killian quickly passed his IPhone to Henry for him to record the moment for him. Just another video memory to cherish in the future.

Killian was not the type to cry, so his eyes just misted. Emma, David and Snow did it for him. Good, warm, happy tears. Regina looked away blinking furiously, unwilling to yield to the sentiment in the room, but far from immune from it.

And in the room there was such joy, such love, that the air was thick with it. That and the white magic twinkling in the room, innocent, harmless but radiant and making the moment feel even more special. Emma and Regina exchanged a glance, trying to determine which one of them was the source. Killian guessed it was likely Emma. He did not think to look to a mere newborn.

He closed his eyes to prevent the onslaught of moisture and opened them, looking around the room and wanting for nothing. Absolutely nothing.

His daughter made his way through her families arms and back into his, her father's and her little fist clasped around his finger. Her blue eyes looked into his own. New born babies don't know how to smile, but this one ignored this rule. It was Emma's smile.

It was everything.

Everything.


	26. Chapter 26

**EMMA**

Emma had known enough to expect that the peace would not last, but enjoyed the early days of mothering, and the bliss that had washed over Storybrooke still. Her husband was back, safe in her arms, and they lay together on the porch of their home in their hammock, their new child nestled between them. Both savouring the quietness of the moment, and the warmth created not only from the love, but the heat of the three bodies, lying relaxed and content with each other.

Killian had his fun reminding her that his "moving pictures" had literally help save them, and she had her fun torturing him that he had broken his own firmly held rule about being with past versions of themselves. She chuckled at the story of past her, entertained at the idea of how she would have reacted to him, then, at that point in her life.

She cried a little when he told her of Neal, of how he helped save them, and how they had waited at day after Killian left, staying with her, for them to make their peace with each other. To find friendship and true forgiveness. She did not need to remember, just knowing they had that chance was so special and moving to her. It was the only sadness in what had been just the greatest moments, such happiness in her life.

They agreed wholeheartedly on one thing though, no more time travel. And both of them started carrying concentrated memory potions on them, part joke gift, part caution from Regina, desperately hoping to never need them again.

But then, at that moment, the wind in the air, the sun beating down softly on them, the love of her life in her arms, she had this one pure, good, perfect moment.

They all feel asleep together, tangled together the three of them like that, and Henry, arriving later took a picture of them, capturing for them forever when everything was right and good in their world. That Christmas it was there under the tree from Henry, framed and beautiful, and Emma hung it up in their home, right beside a picture of them and Henry, in a place of pride.

In a place full of love.

**RAVEN (THE FUTURE)**

She was all alone.

She did not know how to be alone.

She was going to die.

Everyone else was gone.

Everywhere, all around her, fallen where they stood, where the bodies of the people she loved, slumped down in permanent slumber. Every last soul, but the two of them. Her and the monster.

She had never really known fear, but guessed that this is what she felt, her heart beating frantically in her chest, her breathes coming rapidly in panic, tears, hot, hot tears pouring down her face.

She watched as the villain, somehow impossibly, raised partly from the dead, lingered triumphantly over the slumped bodies of her foes, half dead at least, flesh not even fully attached anymore on her body, from so many previous battles and encounters with her family. She had hit them all, the whole town so suddenly with the curse, the sleeping curse that no one had time to react, no one had even seen Maleficent coming.

And now they were all down, unconscious, close to death, and the curse was one that trues loves kiss could not break.

She knew this as she already tried, kissing both her parents repeatedly, cupping their faces in her small hands and pecking at them both, begging them both to wake up. Stroking her mother's hair, pounding her fathers chest. She had some how managed to even drag them together despite her weak arms and lack of strength, pushing there own lips into each other in case her own love for them had not been enough.

She was the only survivor of it all. She, like her mother had magic, but unlike anyone she had ever met, could shift time itself if properly motivated. Her parents encouraged every part of her magic but this part. It was an absolute rule, completely banned. She was raised with stories of how time travel was dangerous, and not to be done, but rebelled and practiced quietly, just a few minutes, nothing significant when they were not their to watch her. Like her parents, she sometimes bent the rules.

And luckily for her, like her father, she was also a survivor.

When the curse had hit, she managed enough power inside of her to shift herself just slightly ahead in time, enough to clear the curse, but not enough to have her very heart crushed at the sight of the aftermath. The bodies on the ground. Not enough to save anyone else. She tortured herself that she had not thought to take with her anyone else. She was used to be protected, not protecting. She laid between her parents still bodies, clutching at each of their lifeless hands, letting the despair take her briefly, wondering what was to be done. She arranged them as close as possible together, as she knew they would want to be. Entwined their hands together in what looked to be eternal slumber.

The demon rounded the corner, to ascertain that her parents were down and helpless.

There was no where to hide. Her skin could not fake the strange colour all the other's skin turned with the curse.

Maleficent had seen her, there was nothing to be done about that, and being her parents child, she stood up and head on, dark hair whipping about her head and blue eyes blazing, confronting the Devil herself, having nothing more to lose, brave and strong, preparing to shift time again, her only defense against attack. Her hands glowed with her magic, bright, bright white, and evil herself cocked her head to the side and regarded her interested, but unthreatened, her eyes not even shinning with pity, she was no longer capable of such an emotion, only contempt.

Contempt for a child, who faced her like she could stop her.

For Raven was just that, a child.

Raven was nine years old.

Yet as little as her body was, not fully formed, as new as her magic was, still as young as Raven was, she was not weak and she was not one to underestimate. She had been raised surrounded by her parents adventures. She knew from her mother that the source of her magic was love, love for them all, and she focused hard, small spine stiff with determination, allowing all the memories of her happy, happy childhood flow through her head and channelling it. She turned her fear into joy, her despair into love. She thought of them all, her love for them and their love for her.

Maleficent was savouring her triumph too much to strike fast, enjoying the suffering of the child of her enemy too much to put it to a quick end. Her eyes, if the half empty sockets could be called that cold, and cruel. By the time she finally struck out, her magic angry, hot and raging, Raven had gathered the strength inside her to shift the very nature of time, to run to the very people she had absolute faith could save her and the town.

Raven shifted the very air around her, the fabric of her own existence. And like a portal, she took herself to the last image in her head. A photograph of them and her, as a little baby, that had hung lovingly on the wall her entire life.

And right onto her parents porch and into the past.

**Thank you everyone for reading. I have not written Raven's story yet, but I have a potential plot in my head, so we will see :). I have a thing for time travel, and this time I am going to have it beta first, but I have it all in my head waiting to pour out now that my other story is done.**

**XOXOX Thanks again. I hope you liked it. **


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